Diego Simeone says Atletico Madrid’s strong away record in LaLiga will have no bearing when they face Stuttgart in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Atletico have collected 22 points from their first nine league matches, although they remain five points behind leaders Barcelona. Their latest result was a 1-0 home win against Espanyol, secured by Alex Baena’s 89th-minute goal.
That victory followed four wins in Atletico’s opening five LaLiga away games. Their only defeat on the road in the top flight came against Athletic Club on 5 September, when they lost 3-0. They were also beaten by Liverpool in their opening Champions League match.
However, Atletico’s record in Germany is poor. They have lost their last five Champions League away matches against German opposition and eight of their past nine visits overall, with the exception of a 4-2 victory at Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 in February 2017.
Simeone’s team are also seeking to improve their results in the third match of the Champions League group or league phase. They have not won that fixture since beating Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 in 2019-20, while they have lost on matchday three in four of the past six seasons and drawn the other two.
Atletico beat Manchester United 2-0 on matchday two, but have not recorded consecutive clean sheets in the Champions League since February 2020. Stuttgart, who have won both of their opening European matches, provide another demanding test.
“The truth is that I have forgotten everything that happened before,” said Simeone. “They will quickly forget what they are praising and will value us for what they do tomorrow.
“We’re facing a tough match against a physically strong team, one that clearly understands the concept of pressing in the opponent’s half, almost always man-to-man, and that drops very deep when it has to defend.”
Romero and Koke unavailable
Atletico’s squad for the trip to Germany was announced on Monday, with Cristian Romero the most significant omission. The defender, who joined Atletico from Tottenham this summer, has a muscle injury and was not risked.
Club captain Koke is also unavailable.
“The importance of Cuti is clear, but the whole makes us all better,” Simeone said of Romero’s absence.
“We are not going to go out of this line, the team is more important than the individual.”
Atletico have never won the Champions League, having lost finals against neighbours Real Madrid in 2013-14 and 2015-16.
They reached the semi-finals last season, where they were beaten 2-1 on aggregate by eventual finalists Arsenal. Defender David Hanko believes that disappointment can benefit Atletico this year.
“The feeling from last season is that we were so close to achieving so much: the cup, the Champions League,” Hanko said.
“We were left with the feeling of reaching the end but not quite making it. We’re using that experience to improve this year.”
