Atletico Madrid vs Man Utd preview: three questions

Atletico Madrid vs Man Utd kicks off at 8pm UK time on Tuesday at the Metropolitano, the second game of the Champions League league phase. We beat Sabah 4-0 in the first one. Atlético lost 2-1 at Anfield in theirs, and have won four straight since, the latest a 1-0 over Alavés on Saturday with an 88th-minute winner from Cristian Romero.

We haven't won since that Sabah game. Saturday's 1-1 with ten-man Spurs made it four without a win.

Who's missing?

Šeško, Dorgu and Mazraoui are out, and Ugarte is still working his way back from knee surgery. Shaw and Mainoo didn't train today after knocks against Spurs, which makes both unlikely. Simeone has a full squad.

That leaves us without our main striker, both our recognised left-backs and the midfielder who keeps the ball best under pressure, going to one of the hardest places in Europe to get a result.

Is this Baleba's night?

Carlos Baleba is expected to make his first start. He came on in the triple change against Spurs and we looked better for it. He was one of three midfielders signed this summer for around £155 million between them, and so far he's barely played. If Mainoo is out, there's no reason left not to start him, and a game where we'll spend long spells without the ball suits what he does best.

Can we score without Šeško?

This is the big one. Without him, Cunha is likely to lead the line, and he's better coming short than running in behind. Atlético defend deep and narrow at home, and they're very good at it. If we go a goal down here, I'm not sure where the equaliser comes from.

We've also never beaten Atlético. Four meetings, two defeats, and the last one was the 2022 last-16 tie that they won 2-1 on aggregate.

Prediction

Atlético 1-0 United. A point would be a good result, and if Baleba starts and we keep it tight for the first half-hour, it isn't out of reach. But the four-game winning run is Atlético's, not ours.

Before this one, here's how Saturday went, and what six points from six actually means.