It’s no secret that in the rigors of a given season, it can be beneficial for a team to focus on just one sport. It’s just common sense. Fewer games means star players can miss less important games in order to be in peak condition for important games. Nowhere was this more evident than in this season’s UEFA Champions League against Atletico Madrid.
Unlike in recent seasons, when Diego Simeone’s side have fought alongside both Barcelona and Real Madrid to win La Liga, Los Rojiblancos have been well off the pace this season and are just chasing a top-four spot. However, while this may be a somewhat pessimistic approach, it is also a sensible one. Atleti are already Decided to advance to the Copa del Rey final Having defeated Barça in the semi-finals, they now look primed and ready to knock the Blaugrana out of the Champions League as well.
atletico madrid stan barcelona
The club, perceived as the Spanish capital’s ‘second club’, traveled to Catalonia for the first leg of the quarter-finals at the Camp Nou with the betting odds against them. Some media have listed the outsiders at 5/1 to secure victory against the current La Liga leaders and 25/1 to win the Champions League outright. However, Simeone’s team was never one to shy away from being in an inferior position.
‘El Cholo’ had heavily rotated his squad around the country in the weeks leading up to the tournament, so Atlético were fresh and ready for battle. Barcelona, on the other hand, looked exhausted and in need of a rest. And with the game tied at 0-0, Simeone and Atleti made the most of their advantage when highly-rated teenage defender Pau Kubalsi was sent off just before half-time. julian alvarez The resulting free kick gave the visiting team the lead, and Alexander Soros doubled their lead in the second half with a goal.
Atlético currently lead 2-0 going into the second leg, but they will be defending with a well-rested team and history on their side. Los Rojiblancos have hosted the second leg of the Champions League for the first time in 29 years and have never lost, much less by a two-goal difference. Therefore, it is safe to say that the aforementioned betting odds are currently tilted in their favor.
Websites to allow Soccer betting with Bitcoin Atlético’s chances of winning this season’s Champions League are now 10-1, less than half the 25-1 lead they had before the first leg. They continue to rest players in La Liga to focus on their continental adventures, so if they do manage to reach the semi-finals, the chances of that happening are certainly slimmer.
Atlético are not the first team whose European efforts will benefit from not competing for the domestic title. Here are two other teams following the same blueprint.
chelsea
When Roman Abramovich took charge of Chelsea in the summer of 2004, the trophy he cherished above all else was the Champions League. The Blues reached the semi-finals five times in his first six seasons, reaching the final for the first time in 2008. Unfortunately for their Russian owners, the west London team risked their Premier League fortunes and lost it all. — The club won three league titles over the same period — Performing on the continent costs a lot of money.
By 2012, the club was in turmoil domestically. Interim manager Roberto Di Matteo will leave the league by the end of the year — Appointed after the disastrous tenure of André Villas-Boas — He immediately prioritized the Champions League over all other competitions. This decision paid off.
Although Chelsea finished fifth in the Premier League, they defeated Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the semi-finals to lift the famous big-eared trophy for the first time. — on their home ground — in the final In fairy tale fashion. Nine years later, history would repeat itself as Thomas Tuchel led the Blues, who finished fourth in the Premier League, to their second ever Champions League title.
ac milan
Carlo Ancelotti’s AC Milan were undoubtedly a mainstay in the Champions League throughout the 2000s. They reached the finals three times in five seasons from 2003 to 2007, winning two of them. However, even though they participated in the most important matches in European soccer, they never won the Serie A title. In fact, they were hardly even in contention for the Scudetto.
In the 2002/03 season, the Rossoneri finished in third place in the Italian top flight, a whopping 11 points behind Juventus. However, the Bianconeri were forced to play star players such as Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet week after week to lift Inter to the title. Don Carlo, on the other hand, were able to rest key players, which made a crucial difference as the team defeated Juve in the Old Trafford final.
Two years later, Milan reached the final again, but once again failed to join the competition for the Scudetto, finishing seven points behind Juve. Still, people like Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko — a well-rested person — They powered their way to the Champions League final and looked set to lift the trophy again after taking a 3-0 half-time lead against Liverpool in Istanbul. Unfortunately for them, one of the greatest miracles in the history of football was to occur during the Reds’ timeless comeback. Still, the blueprint for prioritizing Europe over domestic issues was clear.
In 2007, the agony of Istanbul’s collapse would end as Milan faced Liverpool again in the final, this time in Athens. This time, the Rossoneri finished fourth in Serie A, 36 points behind intercity rivals Inter. But domestic woes didn’t matter as Filippo Inzaghi’s brilliant brace helped them defeat the Reds in the Greek capital and win the European Cup once again. Almost 20 years later, Atlético Madrid are looking to follow in those illustrious footsteps.
