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Heading into the final round of Champions League on Paramount+ the pressure is firmly on La Liga’s representatives with four of them facing a battle on the final day to book their place in the last 16. Once the great power of European football, Spain could find itself with just Real Madrid in the hunt for the continent’s greatest prize in the new year. Below we assess the prospects of Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla (Villarreal are also playing and on the brink, but their situation is much more clear cut. They wish to defend. They are in Italy facing Atalanta who wish to attack. If Atalanta win, they advance, otherwise Unai Emery’s side goes through):
Porto vs. Atletico Madrid: Los Rojiblancos failings are punished
Perhaps it is for no other reason than the never changing figure in the dugout that Atletico Madrid still find themselves viewed through the obdurate, diligent lens of those sides in the mid-2010s that were perennial contenders in the latter stages of the Champions League. Diego Simeone has not changed but Atletico’s standing in Europe has, quite without anyone noticing. Over the last four years they have as many group stage exits as their solitary knockout round win, a remarkable smash and grab over Liverpool that the last few weeks would seem to prove is beyond them this season.
Atleti’s one group stage win so far in 2021-22 came after AC Milan, who had been outplaying them for most of the game, had a man sent off. Across five games they have scored three non-penalty goals, all by Antoine Griezmann, whose brief stirring in defeat to Liverpool was one of the rare moments this team looked like one that could test top sides.
Their underlying numbers point to a team that would do well to get out of the group. They have the group stage’s 22nd most non-penalty expected goals (xG) and the competition’s 20th best defense by that same metric. This competition has been as much a tale…
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Source : cbssports
