Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United: Ademola Lookman aims to make impact in Champions League clash

Atletico Madrid host Manchester United at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid on Tuesday, October 13, with both sides heading into matchday two of the UEFA Champions League league phase in contrasting form. Kick-off is scheduled for 8:00 pm WAT.

Diego Simeone’s team have won their past four matches since losing 2-1 to Liverpool in their opening European fixture. Michael Carrick’s Manchester United, meanwhile, have failed to win any of their last four games in all competitions after beginning their campaign with a 4-0 victory over Sabah.

Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman is included in Simeone’s squad, although he is expected to begin on the bench. Julian Alvarez and Giuliano Simeone are the leading candidates to start in attack for the hosts.

Recent form

Atletico Madrid’s winning sequence includes a 3-0 victory at Real Sociedad, a 4-0 win against Osasuna and a 2-1 derby success over Real Madrid.

They extended that run by coming from behind to beat Alaves 2-1 on October 10, with Cristian Romero scoring the decisive goal in the 87th minute.

Manchester United’s only victory in their past five matches came against Sabah in the Champions League. Their latest result was a 1-1 draw with Tottenham, who secured an equaliser through Dominic Solanke in the 92nd minute despite having only ten men.

United have also been eliminated from the League Cup by Brighton and lost the Manchester derby to Manchester City after playing for more than an hour with a numerical advantage. Those results have increased the early pressure on Carrick at Old Trafford.

Carrick’s side are 12th in the Premier League, while Atletico Madrid are second in La Liga with the weekend’s fixtures not yet complete.

Previous meetings

The clubs have faced each other six times in all competitions. Atletico Madrid have won three of those games, Manchester United one, and the other two have ended in draws. The Spanish side lead the aggregate scoring 8-4.

Their most recent encounter was a pre-season friendly in Stockholm on August 1 this year, when Manchester United won 2-1.

The last competitive meeting came in the last 16 of the 2021-22 Champions League. Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 at home before winning 1-0 at Old Trafford to reach the next round.

Since then, Manchester United have been rebuilt under Carrick, while Atletico Madrid have added Cristian Romero, Alejandro Grimaldo and Morten Hjulmand to their squad.

Lookman’s potential role

Lookman has made limited starts for Atletico Madrid this season and has scored once in all competitions. Alvarez, Giuliano Simeone and Alex Baena have generally been preferred in the attacking positions.

The Nigeria international could be introduced after the hour mark, offering Simeone a player able to operate from either flank and exploit space behind a tiring defence.

Diogo Dalot is the likely Manchester United full-back he would target. Noussair Mazraoui is a doubt, leaving United short of cover in those positions.

Lookman has scored once in three career appearances against Manchester United, finding the net for Everton in a 2-1 Premier League defeat in January 2021. He has not beaten them, recording one defeat and two draws.

Team news

Atletico Madrid have only Pablo Barrios as a doubt because of a muscle injury. Alexander Sørloth and Julian Alvarez have recovered from the knocks that kept them out in September.

Manchester United will be without Tom Heaton, Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Dorgu and Manuel Ugarte. Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo are doubts, while Benjamin Sesko faces a fitness test after suffering a shin problem.

Lookman has no injury concerns and is available for selection.