Atletico have endured one of the most challenging starts to the 2025/26 Champions League, having already played Arsenal and Liverpool, both contenders for the title. ..Continue Reading
They were beaten 3-2 away by Liverpool in the opening round, followed by a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal on Tuesday.
In addition to those matches, Simeone’s team also played German side Frankfurt, securing a 5-1 home victory.
Domestically, Atletico recorded a 5-2 win over Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano in September.
The heavy loss to Arsenal, who scored all four goals in just 13 minutes of the second half, left Atletico in 22nd place in the 36-team league phase as of Wednesday evening.
After the match, Simeone praised Mikel Arteta’s squad as the strongest team his side has encountered this season.
He told Alex Aljoe on Amazon Prime: “I’d say the best team we’ve faced this season, Arsenal. They compete so well. They run and they run. There’s quality all over the pitch. They deserved to win today, and I want to congratulate them on that win.”
Arsenal have never lifted the Champions League or European Cup, though they reached the final in 2006.
They led 1-0 through Sol Campbell in the first half but were reduced to 10 men after Jens Lehmann was sent off, eventually conceding late goals to Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti.
Atletico made it to the final in both 2014 and 2016, but were defeated by Real Madrid on both occasions.
Despite just one loss in La Liga this season, Atletico sit fourth in the standings, having drawn four of their nine games.
Their remaining group stage opponents in the Champions League include Union Saint-Gilloise, Inter Milan, PSV, Galatasaray, and Bodo/Glimt, meaning they won’t face reigning champions PSG in this phase.
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