On Tuesday, Atletico Madrid hosts the English team Tottenham Hotspur at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in the Spanish capital for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The teams are meeting for the first time in nearly 63 years, specifically since the 1963 European Cup Winners' Cup final, which Tottenham won 5-1. This match comes at a time when the London club is experiencing a state of 'chaos' domestically, trying to escape the ghost of relegation from the English Premier League, while Atletico aims to use the home field and crowd support to deepen the wounds of their guest before the return leg in London. Despite the domestic disasters Tottenham is facing, the continental competition has been a 'safe haven' for the team this season. They achieved impressive results in the group stage, which enabled them to occupy fourth place in the overall standings of 36 teams, surpassing giants such as Liverpool, Barcelona, Manchester City, and Real Madrid. This stark contrast between European and domestic performance raises many questions about the team's identity under Croatian coach Igor Tudor, who recently took over. Tottenham enters the match weighed down by five consecutive defeats in all competitions, the latest being a 1-3 loss to Crystal Palace. This allowed the team to set a negative record of not winning 11 consecutive league matches, putting Tudor on the brink of dismissal. Conversely, Atletico Madrid reached this stage by overcoming the Belgian Club Brugge in the playoff round with an aggregate score of 7-4 in a match characterized by insane attacking play. Despite the historical reputation of Argentine coach Diego Simeone's defensive solidity, his team finished the group stage with the worst defensive record among the top 16 teams, conceding 15 goals. Nevertheless, the team is enjoying a special attacking form at home, having won four consecutive matches at the Metropolitano, scoring at least three goals in each game, including a 3-2 win over Real Sociedad last Saturday in La Liga. Tudor can breathe a sigh of relief with the return of the defensive duo of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, who will play naturally despite being suspended domestically, which may restore some discipline to the shaky back line. It is expected that Simeone will deploy his most lethal weapons from the start, especially Antoine Griezmann and Nico Gonzalez, after their brilliant performances as substitutes in the last match.
