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Defence
Atletico Madrid have the meanest defence in Europe. Just 16 goals conceded in the Primera Liga this season to go alongside the four in the Uefa Champions League up to this stage, Atletico’s success domestically and in Europe has been built from the back. If a team does not concede goals, they don’t lose matches. It’s quite simple really. This quality is vital in the knockout stages of the Champions League when away goals often play a decisive role, and if any defence can contain Bayern Munich in the semi-final, then Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final, it’s Atletico’s.
Form
As the saying goes in sport; winning breeds confidence. If that is the case, then Atletico’s confidence should be sky high. Five straight wins and nine of their last 10 in the Primera Liga, Atletico head into every match fearless and expecting to prevail. That run of form does not even include the job they did on Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals when Atletico overturned a 2-1 first leg deficit to win 2-0 in the return fixture. Domestic and European form is on the side of the Madrid club.
Diego Simeone
Atletico’s manager is regarded as one of the finest tacticians in football, and rightly so. Simeone’s team are arguably the most organised and compact side in Europe, highlighted by their remarkable defensive record, but that quality also applies to the midfield and wide positions. The Argentine sets his team up in such a way that smothers their opponents while allowing the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres to flourish in attack. His ability to adapt mid-match and make effective tactical substitutions could also prove a major factor in Atletico’s Champions League hopes.
Cup pedigree
Simeone’s crowining achievement as Atletico manager has undoubtedly been the Primera Liga title triumph in 2014, but there is an argument that this team is better suited to two-legged knockout tournaments. Europa League winners in 2012, Copa del Rey champions in 2013, and Champions League finalists in 2014, Atletico and Simeone know how to succeed in knockout cups. So much of it has to do with the way Atletico play. Compare their compact, pressing game to the remaining semi-finalists who prefer to play a more expansive brand of football, and it has served Atletico well in winning and reaching the latter stages of tournaments.
Antoine Griezmann
Of course, each of the four remaining semi-finalists will have their key men to rely upon, and in Atletico’s case, their star forward is a danger for any team in the world. A scorer of 20 goals in the Primera Liga this season and six in the Champions League, Griezmann is enjoying the most prolific season of his career. The Frenchman scored both goals in the quarter-final second leg to eliminate Barcelona, and he will be crucial to Atletico’s hopes of winning the tournament. His pace, tricks and lethal finishing can be a nightmare for defenders, and if Atletico provide him the service, he can fire them to the trophy.
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