Both Seattle Sounders and Atletico Madrid suffered defeats in their Club World Cup opener, and they will be eager to return to winning ways. The MLS club will host Diego Simeone’s team at the Lumen Field. While the home advantage will help, they will certainly have to play to the best of their ability to take down one of the European giants.
The MLS outfit kick-started their CWC campaign with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Brazilian outfit Botafogo. Despite dominating the ball and taking more shots at goal, the American outfit could not get the desired result.
Seattle Sounders will be hoping for a much-improved performance in their second outing after failing to capitalise on home advantage in their opener. To stand a chance against a star-studded Atletico Madrid side, they must remain defensively solid and clinical with the few opportunities they manage to create.
Simeone’s men got smashed at the hands of UEFA Champions League winners, PSG in their CWC opener. Les Parisiens dominated the ball, created a lot of chances and ended up finding the back of the net on four occasions.
Atletico Madrid were completely outplayed by Luis Enrique’s team, and Simeone will hope they put up a much better performance in this outing. They are expected to have more of the ball against Seattle Sounders and should have enough quality in their ranks to make the most out of it. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Stuart Hawkins is out injured for the home team. Meanwhile, Jordan Morris, who has only recently recovered from injury and was an unused substitute in the last game, could be in line for a substitute appearance this time around.
Seattle Sounders will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Stefan Frei will be in goal. Alex Roldan and Nouhou Tolo will feature as the full-backs, while Kim Kee-hee and Jackson Ragen will take charge in central defence.
In the centre of the park, Cristian Roldan will partner with Obed Vargas. The duo will look to shield the backline and they will certainly have a lot of defending to do. Albert Rusnak will take up the number ten role with Jesus Ferreira and Ryan Kent featuring on the flanks. Daniel Musovski will lead the line for Seattle Sounders against Atletico Madrid.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Frei; Alex Roldan, Kim, Ragen, Tolo; Cristian Roldan, Vargas; Ferreira, Rusnak, Kent; Musovski
Diego Simeone will be without Clement Lenglet after he picked up a second yellow and was sent off in their opener against PSG.
The Spanish giants will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Jan Oblak will be in goal. Nahuel Molina and Javi Galan should feature on the flanks, with Robin Le Normand starting alongside Jose Gimenez in the heart of the defence.
Giuliano Simeone and Conor Gallagher could feature out wide on the flanks in midfield, while Koke could partner with Rodrigo De Paul in a more central role. The duo will look to ensure they dominate the ball and control the tempo of the game. In the final third, veteran striker Antoine Griezmann will partner with Julian Alvarez.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Oblak; Molina, Le Normand, Gimenez, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Koke, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez
Diego Simeone will be eager to get his team back on track following the disappointing defeat to PSG, and he will be counting on one of his most trusted players to lead the response. While Julian Alvarez seems to have taken over as the leader of their attack, Griezmann still remains the go-to man for the Argentine manager.
He contributed towards 25 goals in his 53 outings last season and will certainly be eager to get his name on the scoresheet when they take the field against Seattle. Griezmann could actually end up being the difference between the two teams.
Atletico Madrid will head into the clash as the clear favourites despite their dismal outing against PSG. With Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez leading the line and a quality midfield behind them, Diego Simeone’s men should have too much firepower for the home team.
Seattle Sounders will rely heavily on home support and will need to produce a near-perfect display to stand a chance. Their defence has looked shaky in recent weeks, and if they fail to remain compact and disciplined, Atletico Madrid could exploit the gaps with ease. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for Simeone and his charges.
