Atletico Madrid vs Manchester League – Predictions, teams

Match Details

Who: Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United

What: UEFA Champions League, matchday 2

Where: Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain

When: Tuesday, October 13, at 9pm (19:00 GMT)

How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will provide comprehensive coverage with build-up and live updates starting at 16:00 GMT.

Overview

The action in Europe's elite club competition resumes with a matchday two encounter between the high-flying La Liga side Atletico Madrid and the struggling Premier League outfit Manchester United.

The atmospheres surrounding both teams differ significantly as they prepare to clash in the Spanish capital.

Atletico finds themselves in a title race with Barcelona, while Manchester United is currently positioned in the lower half of the Premier League standings, trailing their traditional rivals.

Key players for Atletico include left winger Alex Baena and striker Jonathan David, both contributing significantly to the team’s success. On the other hand, playmaker Bruno Fernandes and forward Bryan Mbeumo are key figures for United, attempting to revive the team's fortunes.

Historically, this will mark only the fifth meeting between Atletico and Manchester United, with this being the third encounter in the prestigious Champions League.

How have Atletico Madrid played this season?

Atletico has started the 2026-27 La Liga season strongly, holding second place, just five points behind defending champions, Barcelona.

Through eight league matches, the team has achieved six victories, one draw, and one defeat.

Notably, among these results is a spirited 2-1 derby triumph over arch-rivals Real Madrid.

How have Manchester United played this season?

Manchester United is currently experiencing one of their worst starts to a league campaign in recent history.

They sit in 12th place in the Premier League standings, accumulating only six points from six matches (with one win, three draws, and two losses).

Significantly, amongst these defeats is a contentious 1-0 loss to local rivals, Manchester City.

What happened in the first round of Champions League matches?

In the opening round of Champions League matches, Atletico Madrid fell 2-1 to Liverpool at Anfield, while Manchester United delivered a commanding performance, defeating Azerbaijani side Sabah 4-0 in their inaugural match of the tournament.

This leaves Atletico ranked 25th and Manchester United fourth in the standings of this year's Champions League. The top eight teams by the conclusion of the league phase will qualify for the knockout rounds.

Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United: Predictions

According to Opta's supercomputer, Atletico Madrid has a 48.5 percent likelihood of winning, whereas Manchester United holds a 27.2 percent probability of success, with a draw estimated at 24.3 percent.

Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United: Head-to-head

Matches: 4
Atletico wins: 2
Man United wins: 0
Draws: 2

Encounters:

March 15, 2022: Manchester United 0-1 Atletico Madrid (Champions League)
February 23, 2022: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Manchester United (Champions League)
November 06, 1991: Manchester United 1-1 Atletico Madrid (UEFA European Cup Winners Cup)
October 23, 1991: Atletico Madrid 3-0 Manchester United (UEFA European Cup Winners Cup)

Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United: Form guide

(Last five matches across all competitions, latest match first)

Atletico Madrid: W-W-W-W-L

Manchester United: D-D-L-L-W

Who are the top players to watch?

Alex Baena and Jonathan David (Atletico): Baena has shown exceptional form both for club and country, contributing four goals and two assists for Atletico this season. Meanwhile, centre-forward Jonathan David has added three goals and two assists to his tally.

Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo (Man United): United's captain, Bruno Fernandes, leads the team as the top scorer, netting four goals across all competitions, in addition to providing an assist. Forward Bryan Mbeumo has also made his impact felt with three goals and an assist to his name.

What have the coaches said?

Diego Simeone (Atletico):

Commenting on Julian Alvarez’s goal drought: "Strikers like Julian always require goals for their confidence. He has qualities beyond just scoring, such as teamwork and assists."

Regarding the upcoming match against Man United: "We expect a challenging match; we must regulate our efforts effectively to ensure we compete well."

Michael Carrick (Man United):

Reflecting on United's poor form: "It's essential for us to remain positive and focus on executing the right strategies moving forward. We need to improve and collect more points."

On the challenge of facing Atletico: "We're anticipating the big matches ahead and looking forward to Tuesday. It offers a fresh opportunity to perform."

Did you know?

Atletico remains unbeaten in their four encounters with Manchester United (W2 D2). Their latest meetings occurred during the 2021-22 Champions League round of 16, where they drew 1-1 in Madrid before triumphing 1-0 in Manchester.
Atletico Madrid also eliminated United from the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1991-92, securing their advancement with a 4-1 aggregate in the second round (3-0 at home, 1-1 away).
Manchester United has only suffered one defeat in their last 11 encounters against Spanish clubs (W7 D3). They recently faced Athletic Bilbao, winning 3-0 away and 4-1 at home during the 2024-25 Europa League semifinals, marking three consecutive victories.
In their last ten matches against Spanish teams, United has witnessed a total of 35 goals being scored, averaging 3.5 goals per game.

Team news and predicted lineups

Atletico Madrid

Atletico enters the match with a fully fit squad.

Predicted starting XI:

Jan Oblak; Marc Pubill, Cristian Romero, David Hancko; Marcos Llorente, Pablo Barrios, Koke, Giuliano Simeone; Kang-in Lee, Alex Baena; Julian Alvarez

Manchester United

Manchester United will be without five players due to injuries: Patrick Dorgu (hamstring), Benjamin Sesko (shin), Tom Heaton (abdomen), Manuel Ugarte (knee), and Matthijs de Ligt (back).