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At least in the League, the Madrid defense can rightly be called a “wall”. In addition to the strong offense – with 22 goals only the Real Sociedad runner-up has one more goal – it is above all the defense that makes Atlético laugh from the top of the table. In ten games so far, goalkeeper Jan Oblak has only had to come up behind him twice.
With a 2-0 win over Valladolid on Saturday, Diego Simeone’s team took the lead in La Liga. It was the eighth time Slovenian goalkeeper Oblak had “zero” in the statistics. Also noteworthy is the track record of Madrid in international comparison. Eight league games without conceding a goal is a unique record in the major European leagues, and probably beyond.
CL’s balance gives hope to Salzburg
Which still fuels Salzburg’s hopes: In the Champions League, Atlético’s “wall” was not as stable in the previous five games as it was in the league competition. The leaders of the Spanish league conceded eight goals in five games, four times more than in the league. Only in the 0-0 win against Lok Moscow on matchday four did Atlético not concede a goal.
In particular, the 4-0 loss at the start of the group stage against Bayern Munich is negatively impacting Atlético’s season so far. “Yes, the Champions League gives us a headache,” admitted coach Diego Simeone. His team has so far only managed one victory in the premier class, 3-2 in the first leg at home to Salzburg, and therefore needs at least one point in the second leg to avoid having to go to the second leg. Europa League.
For this reason, Simeone expects the greatest concentration of his troops on Wednesday “It will be a very tough match against Salzburg, a fast, dynamic team, absolutely competitive and without any fear. We are sure that we will have tough opponents, “he praised the” bulls “, who scored as many goals against his defense in a game as ten competitors in the league so far. Moreover, in the away game on October 27, Diego Simeone’s eleven was 1: 2 behind and only secured the victory 3: 2 in the 85th minute.
Premiere possibility
A success on Wednesday would take an Austrian team to the knockout stage of the CL for the first time. Sturm Graz survived the first group stage in 2000/01, but at that time a second replaced the round of 16. Historically, a Salzburg win definitely would be. Atlético have never lost to an Austrian team in nine games. With eight wins, a 1: 1 for Rapid 1976 in the sixteenth final of the Recopa de Madrid was the greatest of emotions, but that was not enough for promotion after Atlético’s 2: 1 in Vienna.
Wednesday could, even if that is highly unlikely, end in the worst case with utter disappointment from Salzburg’s point of view. That’s when the last current in the league, Lok Moscow, win a side match against defending champion Bayern Munich, who have already qualified for the round of 16, and Salzburg either lose or only play a draw. That would mean falling behind Lok to fourth place, and that one would no longer overwinter internationally.
