Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur: Champions League round of 16 preview, team news and previous meetings

Amidst a relegation battle in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur look to the Champions League for a much-needed win as they face Spanish giants Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.

Day by day, the threat of relegation continues to grow for Tottenham, who now sit just one point above the drop zone following their latest 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in midweek, their fifth consecutive loss. What was meant to be a must-win encounter actually started brightly for Spurs, who took the lead early on. However, the game turned on its head when Micky Van de Ven was sent off in the first half.

The Palace defeat also meant Spurs are now winless in their last 11 league matches – the worst run in their Premier League history. However, Spurs have saved some of their ‘rare’ good performances this season for European nights. Under Thomas Frank, they finished fourth in the Champions League group stage, ahead of the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

Igor Tudor is now in the dugout, and after a tough first three games in charge, he’ll be desperate for his first win in a competition Spurs have done well.

Unlike Tottenham, Atletico Madrid did not secure a top-eight finish in the Champions League table and were therefore forced to play an additional knockout fixture. Diego Simeone’s side came through that test comfortably, defeating Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate last month.

The Spanish outfit arrive for this clash on the back of a dramatic 3-2 win over Real Sociedad at the weekend. That result helped steady the ship after a bruising 3-0 defeat to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg, although Atletico had already done the damage with a 4-0 win in the first leg.

What time does Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham kick off?

Location: Madrid, Spain
Stadium: Riyadh Air Metropolitano
Date: Tuesday, 10th March 2026
Kick-off Time: 8 pm BST
Referee: Serdar Gozubuyuk (NED)
VAR: Pol van Boekel (NED)

Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur: Head-to-head record

This will be the first competitive meeting between Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.

The two sides have faced each other only once before in a pre-season tournament in Australia back in 2016, when Diego Simeone’s Atletico edged Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs 1-0.

Tottenham team news

Tottenham will at least be boosted by the return of their first-choice centre-back pairing of Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven for this competition after both players served/will serve suspensions in the Premier League.

Djed Spence could return for the first leg, while Destiny Udogie, Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert are confirmed absentees.

Conor Gallagher, Radu Dragusin and Mathys Tel were added to Spurs’ 22-man Champions League squad in January. The other injured players (James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Ben Davies and Rodrigo Bentancur) are anyway excluded from the list.

Atletico Madrid team news

Atletico Madrid could be without January signing Rodrigo Mendoza, who picked up an ankle problem during the weekend’s win over Real Sociedad and was forced off at half-time, leaving him a major doubt for the first leg.

Pablo Barrios is the other fitness concern for Diego Simeone. The midfielder has been dealing with a hamstring issue, however, there is hope he could recover in time to feature here.

Predicted line-ups:

TOTTENHAM: Vicario, Porro, Danso, Romero, Van de Ven, Gray, Sarr, Simons, Gallagher, Richarlison, Solanke

ATLETICO MADRID: Oblak, Llorente, Molina, Hancko, Ruggeri, Simeone, Cardoso, Koke, Lookman, Griezmann, Alvarez

Our Prediction

With Premier League survival now the “bare minimum” objective, this competition represents the only way for the players to repay a suffering fan base. While the squad has lacked fighting spirit domestically, they have consistently found an extra gear on the European stage, much alike last season under Ange Postecoglou.

Cristian Romero in particular will be crucial, both defensively and in setting the tone mentally for the rest of the side. Conor Gallagher will also have extra motivation as he prepares for his Tottenham Champions League debut against a side he knows very well. His familiarity with Diego Simeone’s tactical setup could be useful for Spurs in midfield battles.

For the hosts, Ademola Lookman is the man to watch. With 6 goal contributions in 8 starts since his winter move, his pace and directness will provide a huge test for Van de Ven.

Tottenham simply cannot afford to allow Atletico to carry a lead into the return leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, given Simeone’s sides are known to be difficult to break down when protecting an advantage.

Confidence may be low around Tottenham right now, but European nights have often brought out a different version of this team.

Predicted score: Atletico Madrid 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

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