Atletico Madrid Women vs Man United: Match preview, team news, and how to watch
Manchester United Women are back in UEFA Women’s Champions League action on Thursday evening, away at Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the knockout play-off.
Despite beating Juventus 1-0 in their last league-phase fixture, United finished one point outside the automatic qualification places for the round of 16.
Atleti, on the other hand, finished 11th with seven points, five points behind United.
Match preview
The two sides met during the league phase, with United triumphing 1-0 in what was the first competitive game between them.
United extended their winning run to five matches with a 2-0 victory over Leicester City in the Women’s Super League on Saturday .They are now unbeaten in their last nine matches across all competitions.
Marc Skinner’s side have enjoyed a good run of form since the turn of the year, showing improvement at both ends of the pitch.
United’s campaign in the Champions League has largely been built on resilience, and that is unlikely to change here.
After going winless in 10 games across all competitions, Atleti looked to have arrested their slump, winning two and drawing one of their last three.
However, the Las Colchoneras still need to show massive improvement to edge a confident United side.
Atleti did not win a home game during the league-phase, losing two and drawing one.
Team news
United will still be without Ella Toone and Leah Galton. January signings Hanna Lundkvist, Lea Schuller and Ellen Wangerheim could make their European debut.
Atleti’s Gio Garbelini will sit this one out, having been on the sidelines since October. Priscila Chinchilla and Kathrine Moller Kuhl are in contention to make their debut in the competition for the hosts.
How to watch
Thursday’s showdown will be broadcast live on Disney+. There will be a watchalong on United’s official YouTube channel, while fans can also get live updates on the United App.
Article written by Henry Thornton .