Feyenoord vs Atlético de Madrid facts

It is tight at the top of UEFA Champions League Group E as third-placed Feyenoord entertain leaders Atlético de Madrid with only two points between the teams ahead of the penultimate round of fixtures.

The Dutch champions have six points having won both home games and lost both away – including a 3-2 defeat in Madrid on Matchday 2 in a game they led twice.

Atlético are on eight points, one above second-placed Lazio, thanks to two wins and two draws in the section so far and recorded their biggest Champions League win last time out.

Previous meetings

The Matchday 2 fixture in Madrid was the clubs' first ever meeting and it was the home side that prevailed, although visitors Feyenoord held the lead twice. Mario Hermoso's seventh-minute own goal was cancelled out by Álvaro Morata five minutes later and it was 2-2 at the break, Antoine Griezmann (45+4) equalising for a second time after Dávid Hancko's 34th-minute strike. Morata scored what proved to be the decisive goal two minutes into the second period.

Form guide

Feyenoord

Record vs Spanish clubs: W6 D2 L9 F16 A27
Home record vs Spanish clubs: W4 D1 L2

Before Matchday 2 Feyenoord had last faced Spanish opposition in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage, losing 2-0 at Sevilla but winning by the same scoreline at home.

That latter result ended a four-game losing streak against La Liga clubs and is Feyenoord's only win in eight matches (D1 L6), since a 3-0 success at Espanyol in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup second round first leg, a tie they won 3-1 on aggregate.

Feyenoord were unbeaten in their first four home games against Liga visitors (W3 D1) but had lost two in succession before beating Sevilla.

The Dutch side, as UEFA Cup winners, went down 3-1 to Real Madrid in the 2002 UEFA Super Cup in Monaco.

Feyenoord are in the Champions League group stage for the first time since making their fifth appearance in 2017/18.

A team coached by Giovanni van Bronckhorst finished bottom of their section six seasons ago, going down home and away against both Manchester City and Shakhtar Donetsk while also losing at Napoli, their sole success a 2-1 home win against the Italian side.

European champions in 1970, Feyenoord have never reached the Champions League knockout rounds, although they did make it as far as the second group stage in 1999/2000.

Runners-up to Roma in the first Europa Conference League final in 2021/22, Feyenoord's European campaign was also ended by the Italian side last season, in the Europa League quarter-finals (1-0 h, 1-4 a aet). They had finished first in Group F, with all four teams ending on eight points, before beating Shakhtar Donetsk 8-2 on aggregate in the round of 16, winning the second leg 7-1 at home.

This season, Feyenoord have beat Celtic (2-0) and Lazio (3-1) in Rotterdam, losing 1-0 in Rome last time out having been beaten in Madrid on Matchday 2.

Feyenoord won four of their five home European games in 2022/23, the Matchday 3 defeat of Lazio this season stretching their unbeaten run in continental fixtures in Rotterdam to 16 matches (W14 D2).

Arne Slot's side finished seven points clear at the top of the 2022/23 Eredivisie, claiming Feyenoord's 16th league title and just a second since 1999.

Atlético de Madrid

Record vs Dutch clubs: W8 D3 L4 F19 A16
Away record vs Dutch clubs: W2 D2 L3

Matchday 2 was Atlético's first meeting with a Dutch club since the 2016/17 group stage, when they won 1-0 at PSV Eindhoven through a Saúl Ñíguez goal before a 2-0 home victory in which Griezmann got the second.

That made it four successive clean sheets against Eredivisie sides, a run that also includes Atlético's win on penalties against PSV in the 2015/16 Champions League after their round of 16 tie had finished scoreless, the only contest to do so in competition history.

Atlético are unbeaten in seven games against Dutch sides (W5 D2) since a 3-2 extra-time loss to Ajax in the 1996/97 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, a result that completed a 4-3 aggregate defeat.

Atleti lost their first three games in the Netherlands without scoring, conceding seven goals in the process, but are unbeaten in the four since (W2 D2).

Atlético are making their 14th Champions League group appearance and an 11th in succession. They have featured every season since 2013/14.

Runners-up in 2014 and 2016, both against Real Madrid, Diego Simeone's side failed to progress from their section for the first time in five seasons in 2022/23. However, unlike on the previous occasion in 2017/18, when they went on to win the Europa League, Atleti bowed out of Europe altogether having finished bottom of Group B.

Atlético opened last season's Champions League campaign with a 2-1 home win against Porto – all three goals coming in added time, a competition first – but failed to win a game after that (D2 L3).

That was the first time Atlético had finished bottom of their Champions League group.

In contrast Atleti are unbeaten in this season's competition, drawing 1-1 at Lazio and 2-2 at Celtic and beating Feyenoord and Celtic in Madrid – the 6-0 result against the Scottish champions on Matchday 4 their biggest Champions League victory.

That is one of only four wins for Simeone's side in their last 14 Champions League group stage matches (D4 L6).

Morata has five goals in this season's group stage, level with Manchester United's Rasmus Højlund as top scorer after Matchday 4.

Atlético have won four of their last 12 away matches in the Champions League, losing six of the other eight including four in a row before drawing at Lazio on Matchday 1. They have scored in their last three away matches having failed to find the net in the previous three.

The Colchoneros were third in La Liga for the second successive season in 2022/23, finishing 11 points behind champions Barcelona and one behind Real Madrid.

Links and trivia

Simeone was in the Lazio side beaten 2-1 at home by Feyenoord in the 1999/2000 Champions League second group stage.

Has played in the Netherlands:
Memphis Depay (PSV 2006–15)

Depay scored 49 goals in 124 appearances in all competitions for PSV's first team between 2011 and 2015. He played five Eredivisie matches against Feyenoord, winning two and losing three, and scored twice, both in 2014/15 (4-3 h, 1-2 a).

Has played in Spain:
Timon Wellenreuther (Mallorca 2015/16)

Have played together:
Luka Ivanušec & Ivo Grbić (Lokomotiva Zagreb 2019)

International team-mates:
Quilindschy Hartman, Lutsharel Geertruida, Mats Wieffer & Memphis Depay (Netherlands)

Griezmann's France beat a Netherlands team featuring Hartman, Geertruida and substitute Wieffer 2-1 in UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying Amsterdam on 13 October. Hartman scored the home team's goal in the 83rd minute.

In the 2023 UEFA Nations League 2023 final at Feyenoord Stadium, Spain beat Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Ivanušec started for Croatia and Morata did likewise for Spain.

César Azpilicueta and Morata both scored in Spain's 5-3 extra-time defeat of Croatia in the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16. Koke also started while Ivanušec was a substitute late in extra time.

Quinten Timber's Ajax and Rodrigo Riquelme's Atlético met in the 2019/20 UEFA Youth League round of 16. The match ended 0-0 and was won 6-5 on penalties by the Dutch side despite Timber missing in the shoot-out; Riquelme scored his kick.

Latest news

Feyenoord

Feyenoord made it ten wins in 13 Eredivisie games this season (D2 L1) with a 4-2 victory at neighbours Excelsior on Saturday, Santiago Giménez ending a run of six games without a goal for club and country by scoring a hat-trick and Quinten Timber getting the other.

Giménez has now scored 28 Eredivisie goals in 2023, the most in the Dutch top flight in a calendar year since Luis Suárez hit 30 for Ajax in 2009.

Giménez is the top scorer in the Dutch top flight this season with 16 goals.*

The Rotterdam club moved into second place in the Eredivisie on 12 November with a 1-0 home win against AZ Alkmaar, Timber scoring the only goal.

Feyenoord's seven-game winning Eredivisie run was ended by a 2-1 loss at Twente on 29 October.

Giménez had scored in nine successive club games before drawing a blank at Twente. He managed 15 goals in that nine-match sequence, including two against Lazio on his UEFA Champions League debut.

Giménez scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 win at Ajax that was completed on 27 September; he was the first Feyenoord player to score three times in a game against Ajax since John Guidetti in 2012.

The 4-0 final score was Feyenoord's biggest Eredivisie win in Amsterdam. They had never previously won by more than two goals away to Ajax in the competition.

Eighteen-year-old midfielder Antoni Milambo scored his first senior goal in a 4-0 home win against Vitesse on 21 October.

Feyenoord made a slow start to the defence of their Eredivisie title, drawing their first two matches at home to Fortuna Sittard (0-0) and away at Rotterdam rivals Sparta (2-2).

They won their next seven league games, scoring 30 goals and conceding only four.

Feyenoord were defeated 1-0 by Dutch Cup winners PSV Eindhoven in the Johan Cruyff Schaal on 4 August.

Quilindschy Hartman was the only Feyenoord player in the Netherlands team that defeated Ireland 1-0 in Amsterdam on 18 November to qualify for UEFA EURO 2024.

Three days later Calvin Stengs hit a hat-trick and Mats Wieffer was also on the scoresheet as the Netherlands won 6-0 in Gibraltar.

Dávid Hancko played 90 minutes as Slovakia qualified for UEFA EURO 2024 by defeating Iceland 4-2 on 16 November.

Luka Ivanušec provided an assist as Croatia won 2-0 in Latvia on 18 November, then played the first half of the 1-0 home win against Armenia three days later as Croatia claimed their place at EURO 2024.

Ayase Ueda scored a hat-trick in Japan's 5-0 victory over Myanmar on 16 November in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Ramiz Zerrouki scored in Algeria's 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat of Mozambique on 19 November.

Giménez converted his spot kick as Mexico defeated Honduras in a penalty shoot-out on 22 November to reach the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Lutsharel Geertruida had to withdraw from the Netherlands squad after suffering an injury in training but played 90 minutes on Saturday.

Yankuba Minteh suffered a hamstring injury against Vitesse on 21 October, returning as a substitute on Saturday.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh missed Iran's 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan on 21 November due to a hamstring injury and was also absent for Feyenoord on Saturday.

Captain Gernot Trauner missed five Feyenoord matches with a knee injury, but returned at Lazio on Matchday 4. He was an unused substitute on Saturday.

Hancko is the only player to have played every minute of Feyenoord's 18 games this season.

Atlético 

Atlético's record in this season's Liga is W10 D1 L2.

On Saturday Antoine Griezmann's second-half strike was enough to earn a 1-0 win at home to Mallorca, Atlético's 18th successive home victory in all competitions.

Diego Simeone's side had won six successive league games before losing 2-1 to Las Palmas on 3 November. That was only their second defeat of the season in all competitions, the other a 3-0 league loss at Valencia on 16 September.

A 3-1 win against Villarreal on 12 November was Atlético's 15th home league win in a row – setting a new club record they extended to 16 on Saturday.

Atlético have kept six clean sheets in their first 17 games of the campaign. They managed 17 in 2022/23 season in all competitions.

Griezmann scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win at Celta Vigo on 21 October and has 13 goals this season in all competitions, a figure he only reached last season on 3 May; he finished the campaign with 16.

That was the France international's fourth treble for Atleti, equalling the 21st century record of Radamel Falcao.

Griezmann has scored in nine of his last 12 Atlético appearances, 12 goals in all.

Álvaro Morata has already struck 12 times this season for Atlético, three short of his total for 2022/23.

A 7-0 win at Rayo Vallecano on 28 August was Atlético's biggest ever away league victory.

That was Griezmann's 200th win with Atlético in his 344th appearance. Only Juanfran (306), Koke (306), Diego Godín (340) and Saúl Ñíguez (341) reached the milestone quicker.

Jan Oblak sealed a place at UEFA EURO 2024 with Slovenia after a 2-1 win over Kazakhstan in Ljubljana on Monday 20 November.

Rodrigo Riquelme made his senior Spain debut in a 1-3 EURO 2024 qualifying win in Cyprus on 16 November and was a late substitute in a 3-1 win against Georgia three days later. Riquelme is the 93rd Atlético player to be capped by Spain.

Memphis Depay returned as a late substitute in the 3-1 derby win against Real Madrid on 24 September, his first appearance since damaging his right thigh against Rayo Vallecano on 28 August, only to pick up another injury. He returned as a late substitute on Saturday.

Reinildo Mandava is still recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury he picked up against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on 25 February, although he was on the bench on Saturday.

Thomas Lemar was replaced in the 43rd minute of Atlético's loss to Valencia on 16 September and will be out until March with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

On 30 October Griezmann finished 21st in the voting for the Ballon d'Or.

On 9 November, Atlético Madrid announced Simeone had signed a contract extension until 2027. The Argentinian, who has been in charge since December 2011, has won eight trophies and been in charge for 643 matches, making him the most successful coach in the club's history.