The second quarter-final of the 2019-2020 Champions League between German side RasenBallsport Leipzig and Spanish giants Atletico Madrid will be held in Lisbon, Portugal at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday, August 14, 12.30 am (IST).
This year’s coronavirus curtailed Champions League quarter-finals will be a knockout game, a break from the regular two-legged draws generally held.
The second quarter-final will feature RasenBallsport Leipzig and Atletico Madrid, two teams yet to win the Champions League. The match will be the first competitive encounter between the two sides, it is also the first time that RB Leipzig has drawn a Spanish side in a European competition. This is also the German side’s first experience of the knockout phase of the Champions League.
Atletico Madrid under coach Diego Simeone has reached the quarter-finals of Europe’s top-tier tournament five times in the last seven seasons, a record only bettered by Spanish giants Barcelona and Bavarian side FC Bayern Munich.
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Atletico Madrid has always overcome German opponents in the knockout stages of the Champions League having beaten Bayern Leverkusen in 2014-15 and in 2016-17, the side from Madrid also eliminated German giants Bayern Munich in 2015-16.
In Leipzig’s eight matches in the Champions League this year the team has scored 14 goals and conceded 8. Likewise, the team has also scored four of its last eight goals from the penalty spot.
On their way to the quarter-finals, Leipzig beat English side Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 on aggregate in the round of 16, after topping Group G. Leipzig was pitted against French side Lyon, Portuguese side Benfica and Russian side Zenit Saint Petersburg in the initial stage of the tournament. The team won three games and drew two in the group and their only defeat in the tournament came against Lyon.
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Leipzig thumped last year’s finalist Tottenham in the round of 16, as the German side netted 3 goals in the home fixture against the London side. Leipzig also finished third in the 2019-20 Bundesliga season with former striker Timo Warner scoring 34 goals in all competitions. While Werner’s departure to Chelsea will definitely be a setback for the German side, the team will expect Marcel Sabitzer, Emil Forsberg, and Patrick Schick, who have been their constant performers, to step up their game.
Diego Simeone coached Atletico Madrid will bank on their apriori experience in the top-tier European tournament to sail through to the Semi-finals. Having started the 2019-20 Champions league tournament in Group D, Atletico won three matches in the group stages drawing one and losing two. Atletico’s defeats came against the German side Bayern Leverkusen and Italian giants Juventus. Atletico advanced to the knockout stage as the second team from Group D behind the Italian side Juventus.
In the round-of-16 the Spanish side from Madrid beat reigning UEFA league champions Liverpool 4-2 on aggregate to advance to the quarter-finals. The team will be heavily banking on their goal scorers Alvaro Morata, Joao Felix, and midfield sensation Saul Niguez to put forth something special in the knockout phase of the tournament. Atletico’s back four and their goalkeeper Jan Oblak will be carrying the hope of their fans on their shoulders. Having beaten reigning champions, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, will be aiming for the illustrious trophy in 2020.
