Atlético Madrid v Lokomotiv Moskva facts
Monday, December 2, 2019
Article summary
Atlético need to beat Lokomotiv, who will finish fourth, to make sure of claiming second place in Group D.
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Atlético Madrid's UEFA Champions League fate is in their own hands as they welcome Lokomotiv Moskva to Spain in the final round of matches in Group D.
• Diego Simeone's side have lost their last two fixtures, but are still second in the section on seven points, one ahead of Bayer Leverkusen – who finish their campaign at home to group winners Juventus. That means Atlético will go through if they beat Lokomotiv – who will finish fourth – or if Leverkusen fail to defeat Juventus.
• In Moscow on Matchday 2, goals early in the second half from João Félix (48) and Thomas Partey (58) gave Atlético three points.
Previous meetings
• Atlético are unbeaten in their four previous games against Lokomotiv, including in the round of 16 in their victorious 2017/18 UEFA Europa League campaign. Saúl Ñíguez, Diego Costa and Koke scored in a 3-0 first-leg win at the Estadio Metropolitano before a 5-1 success at Moscow's Stadion Lokomotiv in which Ángel Correa and Saúl found the net, Maciej Rybus with the sole response for Loko.
• The teams shared a 3-3 draw in Moscow in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage, Peter Odemwingie scoring twice for Lokomotiv and Sergio Agüero doing likewise for Atlético.
Form guide
Atlético
• Having fought back from two goals down to draw with Juve on Matchday 1, Atlético then won at Lokomotiv and 1-0 at home to Leverkusen. However, their smooth progress was halted by a 2-1 defeat in Germany on Matchday 4, before a 1-0 loss at Juventus last time out.
• Second in Spain in 2018/19, this is Atlético's tenth UEFA Champions League group campaign; all but two of the previous nine have extended into the knockout stages.
• In last season's group stage, Atleti beat Borussia Dortmund and Monaco, both 2-0, at home but finished second behind Dortmund in Group A. They bowed out in the round of 16 after a 3-0 second-leg defeat at Juventus, losing 3-2 on aggregate.
• A 2-1 loss to Chelsea on Matchday 2 in 2017/18 is Atlético's only defeat in the last 24 European games in their own stadium (W19 D4).
• Despite defeats in the last two, Atlético have lost only five of their last 27 matches in continental competition (W16 D6).
• After losing their first two home matches against Russian clubs, Atlético have won the last three.
• The Rojiblancos have reached two UEFA Champions League and three UEFA Europa League finals in the last ten seasons.
Lokomotiv
• The Russian club were 2-1 winners at Bayer Leverkusen in their opening fixture but have lost every game since; after the home defeat by Atlético, they went down away and home to Juventus, scoring first in Turin and conceding an added-time winner in Moscow, before a 2-0 home loss to Leverkusen last time out.
• The win at Leverkusen on Matchday 1 was Lokomotiv's first away victory in the UEFA Champions League since a 2-1 win at Galatasaray in the 2002/03 first group stage. Their record between those two victories, qualifying included, was D4 L9.
• Second in the Russian Premier League last season, when they won the Russian Cup for the third time in five years, Lokomotiv are in the group stage for the fifth time overall and the second in successive seasons. Their 2018/19 appearance was their first since 2003/04.
• Last season Loko finished bottom of a section involving Porto, Schalke and Galatasaray, losing five games and picking up their only points with a 2-0 home defeat of the Turkish club on Matchday 5.
• Loko lost at Galatasaray (0-3), Porto (1-4) and Schalke (0-1) in last season's group stage, making it four away European defeats in a row. However, they have still lost only six of their last 15 European away matches (W5 D4).
• A 2-1 home win against Athletic Club in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League round of 32 first leg – in a tie they went on to lose on away goals following a 1-0 loss in Bilbao – is Lokomotiv's sole success in their last 13 matches against Spanish opponents, home and away (D2 L10).
• Lokomotiv have yet to win in seven UEFA outings on Spanish turf, losing six. The only time they escaped defeat – indeed their only goals – came in the Spanish capital when they drew 2-2 with holders Real Madrid in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League second group stage.
Links and trivia
• Atléti's Šime Vrsaljko and Lokomotiv's Vedran Ćorluka both came through the ranks at Dinamo Zagreb and were international team-mates with Croatia.
• Saúl Ñíguez was part of the Spain team for a 3-3 friendly draw against Russia in November 2017. Vladislav Ignatyev, Anton Miranchuk, Aleksei Miranchuk and Fedor Smolov appeared for the hosts with two Smolov goals sandwiched by Aleksei Miranchuk's strike.
• Stefan Savić captained Montenegro in a 2-0 away defeat against Russia in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying in October 2015.
• Héctor Herrera provided both assists in Mexico's 2-1 win over Russia in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup; Smolov featured for the hosts.
• Koke missed in the penalty shoot-out between Spain and Russia in the round of 16 at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Substitute Smolov converted Russia's first kick in their 4-3 win on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
• Have played together:
Santiago Arias & João Mário (Sporting CP, 2011–13)
• International team-mates:
João Félix & João Mário, Éder (Portugal)
Stefan Savić & Luka Djordjević (Montenegro)
Latest news
Atlético
• Saúl Ñíguez has played 49 games in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final.
• Stefan Savić's next appearance in UEFA club competition will be his 50th.
• Atlético have won just one of their last eight games in all competitions (D4 L3); they were held 0-0 at Villarreal on Friday.
• Diego Simeone's side won their first three Liga games in 2019/20, but have managed only three victories in their 13 games since (D8 L2).
• Atlético have picked up 26 points in their first 16 league games this season, their lowest total under Simeone.
• A 1-0 loss at home to Barcelona on 1 December ended Atlético's ten-match unbeaten run in the league (W3 D7). It was their first home defeat in the Liga since Real Madrid won 3-1 at the Estadio Metropolitano on 9 February; their record in between the two losses was W10 D4.
• Having kept six clean sheets in seven games before a 1-1 Liga draw at Alavés on 29 October, Atlético had been without one in seven games in all competitions before the 0-0 draw at Villarreal.
• Atlético have drawn nine of their last 17 matches in all competitions, winning five.
• Savić has been out since picking up a hamstring problem in Montenegro's 1-1 UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying draw with Bulgaria on 11 October.
• Šime Vrsaljko has not played since January due to a knee injury.
• A thigh injury has sidelined José María Giménez since Matchday 3.
• Diego Costa had hernia surgery on 21 November and is expected to be out of action for three months.
Lokomotiv
• Lokomotiv have won just one of their last nine matches in all competitions (D2 L6), a 3-2 league victory at Tambov on 22 November.
• The win at Tambov is also Lokomotiv's only victory in their last six Russian league matches (D2 L3); they had won their previous five Premier League matches.
• Lokomotiv went down 4-0 at Arsenal Tula on Friday, their heaviest league defeat since losing by the same scoreline at CSKA Moskva on 26 April 2017. Maciej Rybus was sent off after 73 minutes with Lokomotiv 2-0 down.
• Loko have lost four of their last five home matches in all competitions (D1), but the defeat at Arsenal Tula was only their second in 12 away games (W7 D3), the other having come at Juventus on Matchday 3.
• Guilherme, Dmitri Barinov and Anton Miranchuk missed the 2-1 defeat at home to Dinamo Moskva on 30 November due to minor injuries; only Barinov featured at Arsenal Tula.
• Luka Djordjević has been out since 18 October due to a knee injury.
• João Mário (toe) has not played since 10 November.
• Jefferson Farfán and Boris Rotenberg are long-term absentees with knee injuries.
• Lokomotiv claimed their third Russian Super Cup on 6 July, beating Zenit 3-2.
• Holders Lokomotiv lost 4-1 on penalties at second division Baltika Kaliningrad in the last 32 of the Russian Cup on 25 September after a 1-1 draw.
• The Atlético match is the last game of the year for Yuri Semin's team.