Matchday in focus: Atlético de Madrid | OneFootball

We train the microscope on Eintracht’s next opponents, who have a club legend as a coach and who won their recent derby against Real Madrid.

The opposition

Much like Eintracht, Atlético also boast over 150,000 club members.

Los Rojiblancos lifted their first major trophy back in 1939/40 when they won the Spanish league title, and they have steadily added to their collection of silverware ever since.

Their trophy cabinet now houses, among other accolades, 11 league crowns, 10 domestic cups, three Europa League titles, the European Cup Winners’ Cup (1962), and the Intercontinental Cup (1974). The Spanish side won the latter because Bayern Munich, who were reigning European champions at the time, declined to play in the final. Atlético’s most recent honour came back in 2020/21 when they won the La Liga title.

The coach

That success was Diego Simeone’s second league triumph in charge of Atleti. The 55-year-old, who previously made 170 appearances for the club as a player, has been at the helm since 23 December 2011.

He has overseen 746 matches since then and won nine trophies, including the UEFA Europa League twice. The Argentinian will not be on the touchline for Eintracht’s visit, however, as he was sent off in Atlético’s opening game away to Liverpool.  Form

Prior to beating Real Madrid 5-2 on Saturday, Atleti’s form had been patchy in 2025/26. With two wins, three draws and one defeat, they were eighth in the domestic standings heading into the weekend. They also lost 3-2 in Liverpool in their Champions League opener.

Simeone’s side climbed three places in the table thanks to their victory in the Madrid derby.

Tactics

Atlético played with a four-man backline against Real, which is how they have operated since changing their approach at the start of the 2024/25 season.

Aggressive defending, compact pressing in midfield and defence, and energetic performances are key characteristics of Simeone’s side, alongside a willingness to work hard and cover a lot of ground. One of their chief attacking outlets comes from the back, too. Marcos Llorente scored twice in the defeat against Liverpool, taking his tally to four goals and four assists in the Champions League since the start of last season. No other Atlético player can match the 30-year-old right-back for direct goal involvements in that period.

The stadium

The Estadio Metropolitano has a capacity of 70,460.

Facts and figures

Eintracht fielded the youngest starting line-up in the competition on Matchday 1 with an average age of 24 years and 154 days.

Can Uzun was 19 years and 311 days old when he scored on his Champions League debut against Galatasaray. Only five teenagers have ever found the net on their first two outings in competition history: Rafael van der Vaart, Karim Benzema, Alan Dzagoev, Marquinhos and Erling Haaland.