Manchester United vs. Atletico Madrid: Preview and betting tips

Manchester United will face a Champions League semi-final rematch at Old Trafford on Tuesday when they welcome Atletico Madrid. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw, so everything is open. How will Cristiano Ronaldo’s traditional duel with Diego Simeone end?

Manchester United broke a three-game winless streak at the weekend and finally lifted their confidence with a 3-2 win over Tottenham. They are fourth in the league table, but just two points ahead of sixth-placed West Ham.

Atleti, on the other hand, bounced back from their good performance against the Red Devils to win the next three La Liga rounds. They have improved their position in the fight for the Champions League and are only five points behind second-placed Sevilla in fourth place.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick on Saturday and now has 18 goals and three assists. England’s Jadon Sancho, who has been playing well since the start of the year, has opened the net five times and assisted three times.

Ronaldo’s compatriot Joao Felix scored the only away goal in the opening game and has a total of eight goals and five assists. Geoffrey Kondogbia gave an excellent performance in midfield three weeks ago, the powerful midfielder will be tasked with stopping United’s attacks this time around.

Manchester have worked on a leaky defence, only getting more than one goal in three of their last eleven games.

Athletic, on the other hand, have started to score goals, scoring two or more in four of their last five games.

Given the Cristiano Ronaldo factor (who is also buoyed by a hat-trick), I think Manchester will advance.