Tottenham suffered their fifth successive defeat against Crystal Palace last time out, meaning they are now just one point above the relegation zone. Spurs have been woeful at the back, with 15 goals conceded in their last six matches alone, and Atletico Madrid should be excited for this matchup.

Alexander Sorloth, in particular, should be licking his lips at the prospect of facing Spurs, especially considering that he netted a hat-trick in his last Champions League outing at the Metropolitano against Club Brugge. The Norwegian international racked up five shots in that game, with four hitting the target. Prior to that, Sorloth had eight shots against Bodo/Glimt, with five of those on target. 

He is averaging 4.93 shots per 90 on home turf this season, and has scored 12 goals in his last nine matches across all competitions, landing this selection in all of those games.

It’s hard to see how Tottenham pull together the resilience to get something out of this first leg tie, they are in a dire position and their focus may not even be on the Champions League at the moment given that they are in a relegation battle and take on Liverpool in between their two legs against Atletico Madrid.

Tottenham then have a six pointer against Nottingham Forest to contest, so Igor Tudor may end up having to sacrifice the Champions League just to keep Tottenham in the Premier League. On the other hand, this tie represents a real opportunity for Atletico Madrid to gain some momentum ahead of the latter stages of the competition - with this likely to be Diego Simeone’s last chance to win the Champions League with Atletico Madrid.

Atletico Madrid have won 12 of their 14 home matches in LaLiga this season, with only Barcelona picking up more points at home than Simeone’s side in the Spanish top flight this term. Atletico Madrid are also in excellent form ahead of this clash, having won four of their last five matches across all competitions - the exact opposite of Tottenham’s record with the North London side losing each of their last five matches across all competitions.

Diego Simeone’s men beat an in-form Real Sociedad side 3-2 at the weekend, and they were ruthless in the final third. Atletico racked up 24 shots and six big chances worth 2.31 xG, while the visitors were fortunate to score twice from their seven shots worth just 0.41 xG. 

The Spanish side also beat Club Brugge 4-1 in their last European outing, making the aggregate score 7-4 to book their spot in the round of 16. Atletico have been one of the more entertaining sides in the Champions League this season, and over 2.5 goals has landed in nine of their 10 games in total. The only miss was against Galatasaray in round seven, but that game finished 1-1. Atletico come into this clash in a positive run of form, and they will be looking forward to this matchup.

Spurs haven’t quite been as enterprising, but they have at least regularly been able to find the back of the net, with 17 goals scored in their eight league phase matches. The Lilywhites only lost one game in that stretch, which was against PSG, so were able to automatically qualify for the round of 16. 

However, since their last European match, Spurs have lost five and drawn one in the Premier League, and Igor Tudor has replaced Thomas Frank at the helm. That managerial change hasn’t provided much respite for Spurs fans, as their team have still struggled to restrict chances for their opponents. Tottenham have conceded 15 goals in those six matches alone. 

Atletico Madrid are averaging 6.47 corners per game this season across all competitions, rising significantly to 7.81 when playing on home turf. They will want to secure a positive result to take to London in the second leg, so Atletico should be front-footed on Tuesday night.

Ademola Lookman featured alongside Alexander Sorloth at the weekend, and he racked up four shots before being replaced after 53 minutes. The Nigerian international is likely to operate in a more natural left midfield role on Tuesday night, and he will want to capitalise on this matchup against a leaky Tottenham rearguard, who are missing several key first-team players. 

Lookman has adapted seamlessly to life in Spain after completing the move from Atalanta at the start of January, and he is averaging 3.44 shots per 90 across all competitions. He is swiftly becoming a fan-favourite at the Metropolitano, and has scored four goals in just eight starts for his new club. That includes getting on the scoresheet against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, while Lookman also found the back of the net against Club Brugge on his Champions League debut for Atletico.

Despite receiving a straight red card in his last game against Crystal Palace, Micky Van De Ven will be available for selection in the Champions League, and is likely to retain his starting spot. He made a significant contribution to the outcome of the game on Thursday night, but it was not a positive one. After his dismissal, Ismaila Sarr went on to convert the penalty to level the scores, and Palace scored twice before the end of the first-half to take the game away from Spurs. 

Van De Ven is averaging 1.01 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season, and he has landed this selection in all three games under the new manager. The Dutchman is averaging 2.17 fouls per 90 in the Champions League this campaign, and has recorded multiple infringements in five of his six starts overall. He has also been shown three yellow cards in that time.

The Argentina international was sent off against Man United, and so is yet to play under Igor Tudor, but he should come straight into the starting XI in midweek. 

Romero is averaging 1.3 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season, which has translated to nine yellow cards and two reds in just 28 appearances. Igor Tudor wants his centre backs to be more aggressive in their press, to squeeze up tight to try and win the ball back quickly. That left them exposed against Crystal Palace - Micky Van de Ven committed two fouls in 38 minutes and was sent off, while Kevin Danso fouled three times in the game.

Romero will have his hands full trying to deal with the Atletico attackers here, and it might take him some time to adjust to the new system. It has been a tough start to life in London for Igor Tudor, and the Tottenham squad don’t quite seem capable of executing his tactical system effectively. 

That game against Palace was heavily influenced by the red card, but Fulham also had plenty of success in the final third against Spurs before that. Marco Silva’s men racked up 2.28 xG from 18 shots, despite racing to a two-goal lead after just 34 minutes, and taking a back seat in possession after that. 

This is an excellent matchup for Sorloth, who has scored in each of his last seven starts at the Metropolitano. That includes a hat-trick in his last European outing against Club Brugge. 

Sorloth is averaging 4.93 shots per 90 when playing at home this season, and that figure rises to an eye-catching 6.26 in the Champions League. He is adept at picking gaps in opposing defences, and using his physicality to carve out chances, and he should find success against Spurs. Sorloth looks set to partner Julian Alvarez up front, and the former Man City man is a very different type of player, which makes the partnership work well. 

Alvarez is a lot more nimble and energetic, he is willing to press intensely from the front and sometimes drop deeper into midfield to try and win the ball back. He is averaging 1.18 fouls per 90 in the Champions League this season - registering at least one foul in seven out of nine starts, while he has also managed two fouls in three of those matches, including against Arsenal in the league phase.