Atletico Madrid vs Juventus
Uefa Champions League 2018-19 | Round of 16, first leg
Venue: Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid
Date: Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Kick-off: 8pm GMT
Two European heavyweights meet in the Champions League 16 stage with Atletico Madrid hosting Juventus in Wednesday’s first leg tie.
After so much recent heartbreak in this competition, Atletico are hoping to reach this year’s final which is being held at their own Wanda Metropolitano.
Juventus are looking to reach their third final in five years after losing to Barcelona in 2015 and Real Madrid in 2017.
Team news
Atletico coach Diego Simeone says Diego Costa is not fit to play the entire match. Costa returned to action last weekend after being sidelined for nearly two months because of a foot injury that required surgery.
He came off the bench in Atletico's 1-0 win at Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish league on Saturday, playing alongside Alvaro Morata for the first time.
Simeone said Tuesday that Costa "is not ready to play the 90 minutes" in the round-of-16 match at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Victor "Vitolo" Machin started against Rayo, but Simone did not give any hints about his formation for the first leg against Juventus.
Midfielder Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion is expected to be back in the lineup after a long injury layoff, although Simeone said he will wait until Wednesday to decide whether to start him.
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri says Paulo Dybala will start, but Sami Khedira has been ruled out because medical tests revealed he had an irregular heartbeat.
"Sami Khedira remained in Turin for medical examinations, after which an electrophysiology study was carried out and he underwent treatment for atrial fibrillation," said the club's statement.
Allegri started his news conference on Tuesday by announcing that Dybala would be in the starting lineup for the first leg at Atletico's Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
He did not reveal the rest of the starting lineup, although Cristiano Ronaldo was expected to be playing in his first game in Madrid since joining Juventus from Real Madrid last summer.
Score prediction: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Juventus
Atletico will be desperate to secure a first leg advantage ahead of a daunting trip to Turin but they have come unstuck against heavyweight opposition this season.
While they secured a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in Madrid in the group stages, Diego Simeone's side were on the wrong end of a 4-0 thrashing in the reverse leg.
In home against against Barcelona and Real Madrid this term, they are without a win.
Atletico vs Juventus tickets
To check ticket availability, click here to head to Atletico's website.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Atletico to win: 19/10
- Juventus to win: 7/4
- Draw: 2/1
First goal scorer
- Cristiano Ronaldo: 9/2
- Paulo Dybala: 11/2
- Antoine Griezmann: 11/2
- Alvaro Morata: 7/1
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
The match will be televised live on BT Sport 3.
BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
Head to Head history and results (h2h)
This will be just the third meeting between these two sides.
After being paired in the group stage during the 2014-15 season, Arda Turan’s goal secured a win for Atletico at the Vicente Calderon.
Atletico travelled to Italy and left with a point after a goalless draw.
