Following an unexpected 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Benfica on matchday two, 2014 finalists Atletico Madrid will be looking to get their Champions League group campaign back on track when they play host to Astana on Wednesday evening.
While the visitors are undoubtedly the competition's minnows this year, the Kazakhstanis will make the trip to the Vicente Calderon buoyed by their recent 2-2 draw with Galatasaray.
Atletico
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The fact that Atletico are appearing in the tournament for the third year in a row for the first time in their history is testament to the job that Diego Simeone has done since his appointment in 2011.
The 2013-14 campaign was a particularly vintage season for Simeone and his charges as they ended an 18-year wait for a La Liga title and were just seconds away from winning a first Champions League trophy.
Those heights proved to be too tough to build upon or even match last term, but big money was spent in the summer on the likes of Jackson Martinez, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, Stefan Savic and Luciano Vietto. It served to brighten the mood among the Atletico faithful, but in turn has also increased expectation levels.
Aside from the unexpected defeat to Benfica it has been a bright start to the new season by the Rojiblancos, who can go a long way to booking their place in the last 16 of the competition if they were to collect maximum points from their upcoming double header against Astana. They already have three points on the board courtesy of the impressive 2-0 win away in Galatasaray during the opening round of fixtures.
The bookmakers regard Atletico to be the big favourites to prosper on Wednesday, but centre-forward Fernando Torres has warned his teammates that facing a relatively unknown quantity can be difficult.
"On paper we are the favourites, but not really knowing them can be a real danger. In such matches we have to focus on ourselves, play our game, keep the concentration that you need in Champions League matches, and approach it with the determination to win," he recently told UEFA's official website.
Talking of the number nine, who is in his second spell with Atletico, he goes into this clash with 99 goals for the club to his name.
As for the team itself, their loss to Benfica last time out was the first that they had suffered in this competition at home in 11 outings - a run that had seen them score 25 goals.
Recent form: LWDLWL
Recent form (all competitions): WWLLDW
Astana
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Not only are Astana looking out for themselves, they are also flying the flag for Kazakhstan.
No team from the country, which is located West of the likes of Turkey and Ukraine, had ever appeared in the group stages prior to Astana's inclusion.
This trip to the Spanish capital will already be the team's ninth game in this season's competition, having beaten NK Maribor, HJK Helsinki and Cypriot outfit APOEL in qualification. That was followed by a 2-0 loss at the hands of Benfica, followed by the history-making outing against Galatasaray.
While the encounter in Madrid appears to be a daunting one on paper, Astana will at least be able to take heart from the fact that they have recently arrested some negative form.
Stanimir Stoilov's men had gone five games without a victory in all competitions prior to their wins over Atyrau and Ordabasy in the Kazakhstan Premier League earlier this month.
But, as far as their away results in the Champions League are concerned, it is not quite so positive. Even in their qualifying triumphs Astana lost the away legs, which goes to show how reliant they have been on the support that they receive at the Astana Arena.
Recent form: DWWDLD
Recent form (all competitions): LDLDWW
Team News
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With summer signing Vietto ruled out following surgery to remove his appendix, Torres could well be given the chance to net his 100th goal in Atletico colours.
It is likely that the experienced Spanish striker will partner Antoine Griezmann in attack, which if proven to be the case, would consign Martinez to the bench.
Elsewhere, captain Koke should feature having returned from a thigh injury during the 2-0 win over Real Sociedad at the weekend.
As for the away side, they will have to make do without the services of Ghanaian centre-forward Patrick Twumasi, who will serve the third of his four-match suspension.
Fellow striker Baurzhan Dzholchiyev could be included, though, following his return to fitness from an arm complaint.
Atletico possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Luis, Godin, Gimenez, Juanfran; Tiago, Gabi, Koke, Carrasco; Griezmann, Torres
Astana possible starting lineup:
Eric; Ilic, Postnikov, Anicic, Kethevoama; Canas, Shomko, Zhukov, Maksimovic; Dzholchiyev, Kabananga
Head To Head
Unsurprisingly, these two sides have never met before, be it competitively or in a friendly fixture.
However, last year Astana did come up against Spanish opposition during qualification for the Europa League.
They faced Villarreal over two legs, with the La Liga outfit winning through 7-0 on aggregate.
We say: Atletico 3-0 Astana
Astana are bound to put up a spirited display, but Atletico should have far too much quality for their opponents. It could well be a convincing victory for the Spaniards, with Torres getting his 100th goal for good measure.
Liam Apicella
