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Atletico Madrid vs Manchester City news: City can repel Spanish counter-attack to reach final four

Cancelo and Felix battle for the ball in Man City vs Atletico Madrid

Manchester City take a slender 1-0 lead to Madrid on Wednesday, as they look to reach the Champions League semi-finals in consecutive years.

The first leg saw a footballing culture clash between Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone on full display, with Manchester City relentlessly attacking a resolute Atletico side.

Kevin De Bruyne broke the deadlock after 70 tense minutes, meaning for all their domination in Manchester, City only have a one-goal lead to defend in the Spanish capital.

However, while Simeone would've been relatively happy with both the scoreline and his side's performance in the first leg, they'll have to open up and attack City far more in Madrid this Wednesday.
It's bound to result in a more flowing game with plenty of chances for either side, as two European powerhouses go toe-to-toe for a spot in the final four.

When: Wednesday, April 13, 20:00 BST

Where: Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid

How to watch: BT Sport

Or follow the game via our live match centre

Who is the referee for Atletico vs Man City?

Daniel Siebert, referee

Referee Daniel Siebert will lead an all-German team of officials on Wednesday evening.

Siebert has officiated 29 matches this season, resulting in 102 yellow cards and three red cards being shown.

He was part of the officiating teams that oversaw Manchester City's 2-1 win over Real Madrid at the Etihad back in 2020.

Atletico fans won't have such fond memories of the German official though, after he sent off Antoine Griezmann in October during the 3-2 Champions League loss to Liverpool.

Recent form

Joao Felix
Manchester City head to Madrid on the back of a blockbuster 2-2 draw with Premier League title rivals Liverpool.
A match coined a potential title decider saw the two best teams in the league go head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium, with the points eventually shared.
The result extended City's unbeaten run to nine games, spanning back to their 3-2 loss to Tottenham in February.

Since then, City have scored 16 goals and conceded just four. They'll head to Madrid full of confidence, knowing back to back Champions League semi-finals are up for grabs.

As for Atletico Madrid, Simeone's side head into the clash on the back of a 1-0 La Liga loss to 17th-placed Mallorca.

Before that and the loss to City, Atletico were in the midst of an eight-match unbeaten streak of their own - including the two ties against Manchester United in the round of 16.

However, after consecutive losses, perhaps the Spanish side are lacking confidence in front of goal, especially as they now haven't scored in 180 minutes of football.

Players in form

Kevin De Bruyne will always be a threat every time he steps foot onto a pitch, and Simeone will want to make sure City's playmaking Belgian receives no time and space on Wednesday night.
The 30-year-old has scored in four consecutive matches for City, including against both Atletico and Liverpool.

Those strikes took his tally for the season to 12 and all Manchester City's best attacking moments come through the Belgian.

Joao Cancelo is also a player in a superb vein of form. The Portuguese full-back has been a standout performer for Guardiola's side this season, and he thrives not only going forward, but he's extremely competent at defending too - don't be surprised to see Atletico avoid Cancelo's side of the pitch when going forward.

For Atletico, they'll be hoping 22-year-old Joao Felix will provide the goods as they look to cancel out City's lead.
Felix has scored seven in Atletico's last 10 games in all competitions, including in the first leg against Manchester United, and twice in their 4-1 win over Alaves.
Renan Lodi has also impressed in a wing-back role for the Spanish side. He put on an impressive display in the first leg and has also been an outlet for Atletico's counter-attacks.
As they look to open up a bit more and pile the pressure on City, Lodi's width could cause issues for the visitors.

Champions League run so far

Atletico Madrid
Manchester City topped group A of the Champions League ahead of PSG, with four wins and two losses - the defeats coming against the Parisian side and RB Leipzig on the final matchday.

That set up a round-of-16 clash with Sporting Lisbon, and a 5-0 away win in the first leg essentially killed the tie. A goalless draw in the reverse fixture sealed City's path into the quarter-finals.

Atletico only managed second in Group B, and only won two of their six games. Liverpool ended up topping the group with a perfect 6-0 record.

Their wins came against Porto and AC Milan, while a 0-0 stalemate with Porto on the first matchday was enough to claim second.

That set up a clash with Manchester United in the round of 16, and a 1-1 draw in Madrid set up a dramatic second leg at Old Trafford.

Lodi's first-half goal handed Madrid the lead and a stubborn second half of defending ensured Simeone's side progressed to the final eight.

Managers' thoughts

Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone on the sidelines

Atletico boss Diego Simeone spoke before the match and encouraged his players by suggesting that "anything can happen".

"We are facing a team that plays very well, with a very good rhythm, with very fast transitions, they take advantage of the small spaces in the best way, but we are excited.
"What we were able to generate with the result in the first leg is illusion, but with that alone is not enough, you have to have facts and game and play. Words are not much use.
"We are not going to stray too far from what we do, looking for the right times to create what we want, hopefully we can combine better, faster transitions, more precision on counterattacks, that players with hierarchy have a fantastic night... One game to go anything can happen."

Pep Guardiola said: "We travel with a good result with the intention to win. We try to see the score in the last 5-10 minutes what it is.

"It will be slightly different, they are at home, they create momentums. For the passion all the fans they have, they will be moments they will be so aggressive and create problems. We adapt and try to defend."

Predicted teams

After missing out on the Liverpool clash last weekend, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish could all be involved against Atletico.
Ruben Dias was spotted returning to training on Monday morning, but after six weeks out of action through injury it'd be a surprise to see him thrown straight back into the fold on Wednesday night.
Both Joao Felix and Renan Lodi were limited to spots on the bench for Atletico's recent loss to Mallorca, with Simeone likely resting them for a start on Wednesday night.
With both Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez fit for action, Simeone has an abundance of attacking talent to choose from.
Sime Vrsaljko could also be in line to return to the starting XI after an impressive outing at the Etihad Stadium last week.

Manchester City XI: Ederson; Walker, Laporte, Stones, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; Foden, Mahrez, Silva

Atletico Madrid XI: Oblak; Vrsaljko, Savic, Felipe, Mandava, Lodi; Koke, Kondogbia; Felix, Griezmann, Suarez

Atletico vs Man City prediction

With Atletico needing to open up and press to level the scores, City will fancy their chances to exploit the extra space and pick off this Atletico side.

Expect City to extend their lead and punish Atletico to book a spot in the semi-finals. A 2-0 Manchester City win is on the cards.

READ MORE: 'Time will tell' - Liverpool defender vows to take Premier League title race to the wire

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