Hoping for some respite from their domestic strife, Manchester United will travel to face Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium on Tuesday, for matchday two of the Champions League‘s league-phase.
Diego Simeone’s Rojiblancos are in excellent form, and arrive on the back of a four-game winning streak in La Liga, including a 2-1 triumph over Real Madrid in a bitter derby on September 20.
However, they were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool in their Champions League opener, and will be looking to get off the mark in midweek.
As for Michael Carrick’s Man United, they have failed to come out on top in any of their four fixtures since hammering Sabah 4-0 on matchday one, and are desperate to put Saturday’s dire 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur firmly in the past.
Here, Buzz takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.
Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 4
Atletico Madrid wins: 2
Draws: 2
Manchester United wins: 0
Atletico Madrid against Manchester United is a rare fixture on the continental circuit, with the two clubs having only locked horns four times in competitive action over the years.
That being said, Los Rojiblancos firmly lead the way in this head-to-head, considering they have never been beaten by the Red Devils, triumphing twice themselves and drawing on a further two occasions.
The first showdown between the clubs came back in the 1991 edition of the UEFA European Cup Winners Cup, which saw Atleti emerge 4-1 victors on aggregate.
Sir Alex Ferguson brought his Man United side to the Wanda Metropolitano in October that year for the first leg, only to be thoroughly defeated 3-0 in Madrid by Luis Aragones’s men.
The second leg in early November saw the English team fare marginally better, though they were only able to hold out for a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, where Mark Hughes’s fourth-minute effort was cancelled out by Bernd Schuster with a little over 20 minutes remaining.
United’s most recent encounter with Atleti took place during the 2021-22 Champions League campaign, as the two giants met in the round of 16.
February 2022’s first leg saw the Premier League side pegged back early by a diving header from Joao Felix at the new Metropolitano, though Anthony Elanga ensured the tie was finely-poised for the second with a late equaliser, assisted by Bruno Fernandes.
Unfortunately for Ralf Rangnick’s men, they were unable to overcome Renan Lodi’s first-half header in the mid-March return fixture in Manchester, and were knocked out 2-1 on aggregate by Diego Simeone’s dogged XI.
The top scorer in this fixture’s short history is Portuguese winger Futre, who bagged twice against United for Atleti.
Last four meetings
Mar 15, 2022: Manchester United 0-1 Atletico Madrid (Champions League)
Feb 23, 2022: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Manchester United (Champions League)
Nov 06, 1991: Manchester United 1-1 Atletico Madrid (UEFA European Cup Winners Cup)
Oct 23, 1991: Atletico Madrid 3-0 Manchester United (UEFA European Cup Winners Cup)
Last two Champions League meetings
Mar 15, 2022: Manchester United 0-1 Atletico Madrid (Champions League)
Feb 23, 2022: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Manchester United (Champions League)