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Leicester ready to end Atlético run

For the second round running, Leicester face a deficit after an away first leg against Spanish opponents, and Atlético Madrid will be wary of going the same way as Sevilla.

Atlético's Antoine Griezmann after scoring the only goal of the first leg
Atlético's Antoine Griezmann after scoring the only goal of the first leg ©Getty Images

Leicester City FC will be banking on their impressive home form to finally get the better of Club Atlético de Madrid as they attempt to take their debut UEFA Champions League campaign into the semi-finals.

• For the second round running Leicester must overturn a first-leg away defeat against Spanish opponents, Antoine Griezmann scoring the only goal at the Vicente Calderón from the penalty spot.

• While this is Atlético's ninth appearance in the European Cup quarter-finals, their opponents are in only their fourth season in European competition – two of their three previous campaigns ended at Atlético's hands.

• The Spanish side are bidding for a third semi-final in four years.

Previous meetings
• This is the third tie between the teams, Atlético winning both previous contests – and three of the four matches overall.

• Their most recent encounters came in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup first round, with the first game in Spain finishing 2-1 to Atlético. Ian Marshall gave the visitors an 11th-minute lead but two goals in four second-half minutes from Juninho Paulista (69) and Christian Vieri (72pen) gave the hosts victory.

• Juninho also got Atlético's opening goal in the second leg at Leicester's old Filbert Street home, breaking the deadlock in the 70th minute; José Mari completed a 2-0 success five minutes later. Both sides ended with ten men, Atlético losing Juan Manuel López to a second booking in the 50th minute and Leicester's Garry Parker collecting his second yellow 15 minutes later.

• The line-ups for the second leg on 30 September 1997 were:
Leicester: Keller, Watts (Savage 65), Kåmark, Elliott, Prior (Cottee 82), Lennon, Izzet, Parker, Guppy, Heskey, Marshall (Fenton 89).
Atlético: Molina, Frascarelli, López, Santi, Juninho, Lardín, Kiko, Geli (Prodan 80), Caminero (Vizcaíno 73), Bejbl, Vieri (José Mari 65).

• Leicester earned a 1-1 draw against Atlético in the 1961/62 European Cup Winners' Cup first round first leg, only being denied victory by Jorge Mendonça's 89th-minute strike; Ken Keyworth had given the home team a 56th-minute lead.

• The sides at Filbert Street on 25 October 1961 were:
Leicester: Banks, Chalmers, Norman, McLintock, King, White, Riley, Keyworth, Wills, Appleton, Mitten.
Atlético: Madinabeytia, Rivilla, Griffa, Calleja, Ramiro, Callejo, Rodríguez, Medina, Mendonça, Peiró, Collar.

• Again Atlético were 2-0 winners in the second leg, their goals coming from Enrique Collar (60pen) and Miguel Jones (75).

Match background

Leicester
• Leicester are the 50th different club to have reached a UEFA Champions League quarter-final and the eighth from England – the most from any nation, overtaking both France and Spain, who have provided seven different quarter-finalists.

• The round of 16 triumph against Sevilla FC was only Leicester's second in a two-legged European tie. The English champions were beaten 2-1 in the first game, in what proved Claudio Ranieri's last match in charge, but under Craig Shakespeare fought back to win the return 2-0.

• That tie was just the second time Leicester had lost an away first leg in UEFA competition; the other came in that 1997 contest against Atlético.

• The Sevilla tie was also Leicester's only other experience of Spanish opposition aside from their losses to Atlético.

• The English title holders' only previous two-legged European victory had been a 7-2 aggregate success against Glenavon FC in the 1961/62 European Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round.

• The English champions have won all four home matches in the UEFA Champions League, scoring six goals and shipping only one.

• Leicester have never been involved in a penalty shoot-out in UEFA competition.

Atlético
• Atlético are in the European Cup quarter-finals for the ninth time, and the fourth season in a row. Their last-eight record is W5 L3 – they have won two of their last three quarter-finals.

• They were European Cup runners-up for the third time last year when going down 5-3 on penalties to neighbours Real Madrid CF in Milan on 28 May.

• Twelve months ago, Diego Simeone's side lost the first leg of their tie with FC Barcelona 2-1, but went through after a 2-0 home win. Atlético also knocked out Barça at the same stage of the 2013/14 competition, prevailing 1-0 at home after a 1-1 first-leg away draw.

• In 2014/15, Atlético were beaten 1-0 on aggregate by Real Madrid in the last eight, Javier Hernández getting the only goal of the tie late in the second leg. Madrid have defeated Atlético in each of the last three seasons.

• The Rojiblancos have won ten and drawn five of their 21 UEFA Champions League away games since September 2013. Atlético won 1-0 at PSV Eindhoven and FC Rostov in this term's group stage. Their 1-0 reverse at FC Bayern München on matchday six prevented them joining the six teams to have won all six matches in a UEFA Champions League group stage, although they still finished as section winners, and were 4-2 victors at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the round of 16 first leg.

• Atlético's six defeats in those 21 away fixtures have all been by a one-goal margin.

• Simeone's charges last faced English opposition in the shape of Chelsea FC in the 2013/14 semi-finals, drawing the home first leg 0-0 and going through after a 3-1 away success. They are unbeaten in their last five games against Premier League clubs, home and away.

• Atlético's record in England is W2 D4 L4, that Chelsea triumph coming after a run of four defeats in five visits. 

• The Spanish side's record in two-legged ties against English clubs is W6 L2; they have won the last two contests, last losing to Bolton Wanderers FC in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup round of 32 (0-1 aggregate).

• Atleti have won 28 of the UEFA competition ties in which they have won the home first leg – including their last 16 – losing the other seven. When the home first leg has finished 1-0, Atlético's aggregate record is W7 L3, with victories in the last four such ties, most recently against Bayern in last season's semi-finals (1-0 h, 1-2 a).

• The last team to eliminate the capital club after they had won a first leg 1-0 at home were OFI Crete, who prevailed 2-0 in the return fixture, in the 1993/94 UEFA Cup second round.

• Atlético's shoot-out record in UEFA competition is W2 L4:
6-7 v Derby County FC, 1974/75 UEFA Cup second round
1-3 v ACF Fiorentina, 1989/90 UEFA Cup first round
1-3 v Villarreal CF, 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup final
3-2 v Leverkusen, 2014/15 UEFA Champions League round of 16
8-7 v PSV, 2015/16 UEFA Champions League round of 16
3-5 v Real Madrid, 2015/16 UEFA Champions League final

Coach and player links
• Simeone faced England four times during his international career with Argentina (W1 D2 L1).

• Simeone has never lost to English opposition as coach, having also overseen a 4-1 victory against Chelsea in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup.

• The Atlético boss was in the FC Internazionale Milano side that lost to Manchester United FC in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, going down 2-0 away before a 1-1 home draw. His overall record as a player against English clubs was W2 D3 L2.

• Leonardo Ulloa made 78 appearances for CD Castellón between 2008 and 2010, scoring 30 goals. He moved on to UD Almería, registering 39 goals in 90 games from 2010 to 2013, including two draws against Atlético.

• Filipe Luís made 15 outings for Chelsea in 2014/15.

• Yohan Benalouane and Augusto Fernández were AS Saint-Étienne team-mates in 2009/10.

• International team-mates:
Daniel Amartey & Thomas Partey (Ghana)
Antoine Griezmann & Nampalys Mendy (France U21 2010–12)

Match facts

Leicester
• Wilfred Ndidi, Islam Slimani and Jamie Vardy are all a booking away from a ban. Robert Huth serves a one-game suspension.

• After winning their first six matches under Shakespeare, Leicester are without a win in three.

Atlético
• José María Giménez will incur a suspension with his next booking.

• Atlético had two penalties saved late on in their 3-0 home victory over CA Osasuna on Saturday. Yannick Carrasco, on a hat-trick, and Thomas were denied by Salvatore Sirigu.

• Atlético's three defeats in 2017 have all been at home, most recently 2-1 against Barcelona on 26 February.

• The Rojiblancos are 12 matches unbeaten away from home, since a 3-0 loss at Villarreal CF on 12 December.

• Simeone's men have kept seven clean sheets in their last nine fixtures, conceding just two goals.