Winless in four, Man Utd visit an Atlético Madrid side on a four-game winning run

Atlético Madrid host Manchester United at the Metropolitano on Tuesday (21:00 CEST) on matchday two of the Champions League league phase, with the two clubs heading in opposite directions. Diego Simeone's side have won four in a row; Michael Carrick's United have not won in four since beating Sabah 4-0 on the opening night.

Atlético's run, and a stubborn record

Atlético lost 2-1 at Liverpool on matchday one and sit 26th of 36 without a point. They have not lost since: 3-0 at Real Sociedad, 4-0 against Osasuna, 2-1 against Real Madrid in the derby and 2-1 at Alavés on Saturday, where Álex Grimaldo opened the scoring and Cristian Romero scored the late winner. Romero, the former Tottenham defender, was man of the match when Spurs beat United in the 2025 Europa League final. Atlético are second in LaLiga with 18 goals scored and eight conceded in eight games, and Simeone has his whole squad available, including Arnau Ortiz, who served a suspension at Anfield.

English opponents remain a problem. According to ESPN, Atlético have never won a Champions League group-stage or league-phase match against an English club (four draws, seven defeats). Their aim, Mundo Deportivo reports, is a top-eight finish that avoids February's play-off round.

United's slump

The Sabah win has United fourth in the table, but their league form has collapsed: six points from six Premier League games, their worst start since 1986/87, and 12th place. Defeats by Manchester City (1-0) and Brighton (3-2) were followed by 1-1 draws at Fulham and at home to Tottenham on Saturday. Against Spurs, Bryan Mbeumo scored in the 73rd minute and Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for headbutting Luke Shaw, but Dominic Solanke headed in a stoppage-time equaliser from Sandro Tonali's cross. Home fans booed United off at half-time and full-time. According to TEAMtalk, as reported by the Evening Standard, owners INEOS are not currently planning to dismiss Carrick, who signed a two-year contract in May.

Goalkeeper Senne Lammens wants a quick response. "For me personally, if I don't have the best game, I'm looking forward to the next game to get that sour feeling out of my mouth," the Belgium international told BBC Sport. "It's a team thing. The manager has been hammering a lot about defending as a team, being able to put pressure on the opposition, especially on the crosses."

Team news

Carrick is short at the back. Matthijs de Ligt (back), Noussair Mazraoui (back) and Patrick Dorgu (hamstring) are out, along with midfielder Manuel Ugarte (knee) and striker Benjamin Sesko (shin), ESPN reports. Reserve goalkeeper Tom Heaton is a doubt with an abdominal problem.

United have lost only one of their last 11 games against Spanish opponents (seven wins, three draws), but they have not beaten Atlético in their previous four meetings, losing two, most recently 2-1 on aggregate in the 2021-22 round of 16. Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg takes charge, with Pol van Boekel on VAR.