Atl. Madrid vs Club Brugge KV prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2022-10-11 16:45.
AtlĂ©tico Madrid immediately returned to winning ways at the weekend (2-1 vs Girona), but it was scant consolation for a 2-0 defeat in Brugge on UEFA Champions League (UCL) matchday three. Backed by a mass of nearly 70,000 Rojiblancos fans once again, Diego Simeoneâs men are expected to go all out for vengeance in order to avoid only a second group-stage UCL elimination across the past decade.
Four points from the final three Group B matchdays will be needed for AtlĂ©tico to match the seven points that scraped second place last year. But in truth a defeat here seems truly unthinkable, especially when considering that September 2015 still marks their most recent UCL home loss to a team outside Europeâs top-five domestic leagues.
Club Brugge are still basking in the glory of being the first Belgian side ever to make a perfect three-game start to a UCL group. âHet Laatste Nieuwsâ duly described Brugge as Belgian footballâs âbest ambassadorâ, but an unexpected 2-0 home defeat to Westerlo at the weekend provided a reality check ahead of a very tough trip.
With Brugge on the verge of reaching the UCL knockouts at the tenth attempt after 30 years of frustration, now seems as good a time as any to improve on a dismal away record against Spanish opposition across the past 50 years (D5, L8). That includes a 3-1 humbling on their only prior trip to the Metropolitano Stadium back in October 2018, so Brugge will need all hands on deck to continue their 100% start here.
Players to watch: Antoine Griezmann got a brace and an assist for AtlĂ©tico back then, but his main motivation will be atoning for a penalty miss â his first in the UCL for six years â during matchday three. Brugge have a hitman of their own in the form of Catalan international Ferran JutglĂ , who has three goal involvements in his last two appearances (G2, A1) including the final goal against AtlĂ©tico last week.
Hot stat: Four of Atleticoâs last five games, and four of Bruggeâs last five games, have all seen the eventual winner lead at half-time.