Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United: Carrick Missing Two Stars as Winless United Travel to Face Simeone's In-Form Side
by Geoffrey Ejiga | by Cydias Aujard
United Have Never Beaten Atletico in Competitive Football
Manchester United have faced Atletico Madrid four times in competitive fixtures and are yet to record a single win. The record reads two defeats and two draws, with United scoring two goals and conceding six across those four matches.
The clubs first met in the 1991 Cup Winners' Cup second round. Atletico won 3-0 in the first leg in Madrid before a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford sent them through 4-1 on aggregate.
The teams did not meet again for over 30 years until the 2021-22 Champions League round of 16, when Atletico again progressed across two legs.
A 1-1 draw at the Wanda Metropolitano was followed by a 1-0 Atletico win at Old Trafford through a Renan Lodi header.
United did beat Atletico 2-1 in a pre-season friendly in Stockholm on August 1 this year, but that result does not count in the competitive record. And as it stands, the struggling Red Devils aren't looking like they can cause much trouble in the Metropolitano.
So ensure to check out our expert’s Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United prediction.
Four Straight Wins for Atletico, Four Without a Win for United
Atletico have been one of the standout teams in Europe over the past month.
After losing 3-0 at Athletic Bilbao on September 5, Simeone's side responded with four straight La Liga victories:
- 3-0 at Real Sociedad,
- 4-0 against Osasuna,
- 2-1 derby win over Real Madrid, and
- A 2-1 win at Alaves last weekend, where Cristian Romero headed the winner in the 87th minute.
They are second in La Liga on 19 points from eight matches, one point behind leaders Barcelona. Their only setback in this period came on Champions League Matchday 1, when they lost 2-1 at Liverpool. Marcos Llorente scored for Atletico in that defeat.
Alex Baena has been the star man for Atleti so far, scoring four La Liga goals. Meanwhile, Julian Alvarez and Jonathan David have given Simeone strong attacking options since the summer departures of Antoine Griezmann and Nahuel Molina.
The Other Half: Carrick’s Dilemma
For the visitors, the past few weeks paint a different picture.
Carrick's side have not won a Premier League match since beating Ipswich 5-2 on August 23, a run of four league matches without a victory. A 1-0 defeat at Manchester City and a 2-0 loss at Hull have been mixed with draws against Everton, Fulham and Tottenham.
Carrick’s side are now 13th in the table on six points from six matches.
The 4-0 win over Sabah FK on Matchday 1 was a welcome relief for the under-pressure manager. And it was thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha, Lisandro Martinez and Benjamin Sesko.
However, the Spurs result that followed put Carrick’s position at the helm of the club back into the spotlight. Manchester United went up 1-0 at home in the 73rd minute, and were essentially gifted the game when Rodrigo Bentancur received a red card just 5 minutes later.
Somehow, United ended the game 1-1, courtesy of Dominic Solanke 92nd minute dagger.
Sesko and Ugarte Lead United's Absentee List
If their form wasn’t bad enough, Carrick will also be without several key players for the trip to Madrid:
- Benjamin Sesko is out with a recurring shin problem,
- Manuel Ugarte suffered an ACL injury during the summer World Cup and has not played this season, and
- Andreas Dorgu picked up a hamstring injury on Denmark duty and was ruled out, along with goalkeeper Tom Heaton.
Still, there’s some positive news. Matthijs de Ligt has returned to training after a back problem and could feature for the first time this season.
What’s more, Amad Diallo has been dealing with an ankle injury since pre-season but is also closing in on a return.
For Atletico, Pablo Barrios is a doubt with a muscle injury. Alexander Sorloth and Alvarez both recovered from knocks picked up in September and are available. Ademola Lookman, who arrived in the summer from Atalanta, could start after coming off the bench against Alaves.
