Tomorrow night’s Europa League clash in the Vicente Calderón sees one of Atleti’s most beloved players in recent history returning to take on the club he won the same competition with two years ago. Simao Sabrosa will be doing his best to remain cold-blooded as his current club Besiktas -- one he has also tasted success with by winning the Turkish Cup last year – take on the Madrid club he shares such fond memories with.
Losing their last two matches in the Turkish Super Lig to arch enemies Galatasaray and third place rivals Trabzonspor, Carlos Carvalhal’s men will be looking to make amends and keep their European adventure alive by getting a result in the Spanish capital to take into the second leg of the competition’s last sixteen.
They will have to do so without their biggest threat in attack, Hugo Almeida, who has to sit out because of problems with his knee. Even in the gigantic forward’s absence, the visitors do possess a more than decent forward line though, with Simao and ex-Barca player Ricardo Quaresma patrolling the wings.
Elsewhere on the pitch, the feisty Egeman Korkmaz will marshal the defence on his return back from injury alongside the Czech Republic international, Tomas Sivok. The Atleti forward line will be forced to come deep to pick up the ball, as the central defensive partnership breathes down their necks, however, where the Turkish side is vulnerable is in the left full back position, with Ismail Koybasi offering far more in attack than in defence. The goalkeeper, Cenk, is also prone to making the occasional howler from time to time.
Carvalhal likes to play a 4-3-3 system, with the trio of Fabian Ernst, Necip Uysal and Manuel Fernandes governing midfield with all the intensity and tenacity you’d expect from a Turkish outfit. Strong in the air, tough in the tackle and, with Fernandes, capable of keeping opposition goalkeepers on their toes with effective long-range strikes.
Meanwhile, in the colchonero dressing room, Simeone doesn’t exactly have a wealth of options to choose from thanks to sanctions, injuries and child births, with Arda, Silvio, Diego, Antonio López, Assunçao and new dad Tiago all unavailable to play. Saying that, the Argentine has at no point had a full squad to pick from since taking over in December, so is well used to having his hands tied where his starting XI is concerned, and with Falcao coming back after missing Saturday’s 1-1 draw away to Sevilla due to suspension, the home side will be strongly favoured.
According to reports from training yesterday, Perea and Godín are likely to partner each other in the middle of the defensive back four, while Domínguez and Miranda are rested. The inform Juanfran will take his position on the right flank with Felipe Luis on the corresponding side.
With the return of Falcao, Cholo will revert back to a four-man midfield, leaving the Colombian to double up with Adrian up front. Leaving Gabi and Mario to act as a double pivot in the middle of the park, with Salvio and Koke taking on the role of the wide players.
One man who knows more about these clubs is current Besiktas, and former Atleti, physical trainer, Carlos Cascallana. He warned the Spanish club not to get cocky ahead of this match, as the Turkish side, while not having the best season domestically, is capable of beating almost any side on it’s day, “Perhaps the concentration, coupled with the high tension, of a regular league is to much for them to fight for the title…..but in a one off match or in a knock-out competition they can beat anyone”.
Whether having home advantage in the first leg is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen, but Atlético should by no means count their chickens just yet. Just because of the relative ease with which they dispatched of Lazio in the last round, they should not take advancing past this round as a given. Their opponents this time are no lightweights, having already ended Sporting de Braga’s run in the cup and topped a group that included Stoke City, Dinamo de Kiev and Mccabi Tel-Aviv.
Apart from Perea, Domínguez, Assunçao and Antonio López, Simao won’t be too familiar with many of Atleti’s current ranks, but he is sure to get emotional as he faces the frente for the first time since leaving the Mazanares club.
Prediction: With Falcao and Adrian playing together again, the rojiblancos should be confident about scoring goals, and with the back line still holding up strongly, under Simeone stewardship, the visitors are going to find it difficult to score against the indomitable Courtois.
2-0
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