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Atlético on top as Leverkusen visit again

Atlético Madrid came out narrowly on top against Bayer Leverkusen at this stage two years ago and, with a 4-2 first-leg lead, look well-placed to inflict another last-16 defeat.

Atlético celebrate victory at Leverkusen
Atlético celebrate victory at Leverkusen ©Getty Images

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have it all to do to turn the tables on Club Atlético de Madrid in the UEFA Champions League round of 16; two seasons ago at this stage, the Spanish side came out on top and look well placed for a repeat performance this time round.

• Atlético are in control of the tie again following the first leg in Germany when goals from Saúl Ñiguez, Antoine Griezmann, Kevin Gameiro and Fernando Torres secured a 4-2 victory; Karim Bellarabi and a Stefan Savić own goal gave Leverkusen a glimmer of hope for the return.

• Only twice in UEFA Champions League history has a side overturned a home first-leg defeat to win the tie: AFC Ajax against Panathinaikos FC in the 1995/96 semi-finals (0-1 home, 3-0 away) and FC Internazionale Milano against FC Bayern München in the 2010/11 round of 16 (0-1 home, 3-2 away).

Previous Meetings
• In the 2014/15 first leg, Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored just before the hour to give Leverkusen a 1-0 home victory; Tiago was sent off for the visitors.

• Atlético drew level on aggregate in the return through Mario Suárez and that took it to penalties, the hosts going through 3-2. Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Ömer Toprak and Stefan Kiessling missed for the visitors, Koke failing for Atlético; Fernando Torres settled it by converting the home side's fifth kick.

• The line-ups on 17 March 2015 were:
Atlético: Moyà (Oblak 23), Juanfran, Giménez, Miranda, Gámez, Arda Turan, Mario Suárez, Koke, Cani (Raúl García 46), Griezmann, Mandžukić (Torres 83).
Leverkusen: Leno, Hilbert, Ömer Toprak, Spahić, Wendell, Bender (K Papadopoulos 104), Castro, Bellarabi, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Son Heung-Min (Rolfes 77), Drmić (Kiessling 69).

• The clubs played out two 1-1 draws in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage. Simão's penalty (51) cancelled out an Eren Derdiyok goal (39) in Madrid on 30 September 2010, before Fran Mérida (72) equalised Patrick Helmes's opener (69) in Leverkusen on 16 December.

• The line-ups in Spain were:
Atlético: De Gea, Ujfaluši, Perea, Álvaro Domínguez, Filipe Luis, Paulo Assunção, Raúl García (Mérida 46), Simão, Reyes, Forlán (Tiago 46), Diego Costa.
Leverkusen: Adler, Schwaab, M Kadlec, Hyypiä, Reinartz, M Friedrich, Vidal (Bender 61), Barnetta, Balitsch (Rolfes 61), Sam, Derdiyok (Helmes 68).

• Jupp Heynckes' Leverkusen ended up top of that UEFA Europa League group while the elimination of Quique Sánchez Flores' Atlético, then holders, was confirmed with the matchday six draw at Leverkusen.

Match background

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

• The Rojiblancos are looking to reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup for the ninth time. Last season they won a second successive round of 16 tie on penalties, beating PSV Eindhoven 8-7 after two goalless games – a UEFA Champions League first.

• Diego Simeone's men suffered a 1-0 defeat at FC Bayern München on matchday six of this season's Group D which prevented them joining the six teams to have won all six games in a UEFA Champions league group stage, although they still finished as section winners.

• They have won 28 of their last 33 European matches at the Vicente Calderón, losing just twice.

• Atlético are on a seven-match unbeaten run at home to German clubs (W6 D1), dating back to a 1-0 defeat by Borussia Dortmund in the 1996/97 group stage.

• Their home record against Bundesliga opposition is P18 W13 D2 L3.

• Los Colchoneros have won their last seven two-legged ties against German sides. Their last aggregate defeat came against 1. FC Dynamo Dresden in the 1979/80 UEFA Cup first round.

• Atlético lost the 1974 European Champion Clubs' Cup final against Bayern, going down 4-0 in a replay after a 1-1 draw.

• Atlético have won all 20 UEFA competition ties in which they won the away first leg, most recently against AC Milan in the 2013/14 round of 16 (1-0 away, 4-1 home).

• 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, 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup final
3-2 v Leverkusen, 2014/15 UEFA Champions League round of 16
8-7 v PSV Eindhoven, 2015/16 UEFA Champions League round of 16
3-5 v Real Madrid, 2015/16 UEFA Champions League final

Leverkusen
• The German side, who qualified as Group E runners-up behind AS Monaco FC, have never won a last-16 tie and have suffered some heavy defeats at this stage:
2013/14 Paris Saint-Germain 0-4 h, 1-2 a (1-6 agg)
2011/12 FC Barcelona 1-3 h, 1-7 a (2-10 agg)
2004/05 Liverpool FC 1-3 a, 1-3 h (2-6 agg)

• Although the Werkself reached the final in 2002, losing to Real Madrid CF, that was when the tournament featured a second group stage.

• In this season's group stage, Leverkusen recorded two away draws and a 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur FC. They have won two and drawn three of their last six away games in UEFA competition.

• Leverkusen were eliminated in last season's group stage – losing 2-1 at Barcelona and drawing 1-1 at home – and went on to reach the UEFA Europa League round of 16 before losing to Villarreal CF (0-2 a, 0-0 h).

•  Leverkusen have lost on their last three visits to Spain and their overall record there is W3 D2 L12. Their last victory in Spain was a 1-0 success at Real Sociedad de Fútbol in the 2013/14 group stage, Toprak's goal securing their place in the last 16.

• Leverkusen have lost their last six two-legged ties against Spanish opposition. Their last victory came when they defeated RCD Espanyol in the 1988 UEFA Cup final (3-3 agg, 3-2 pens).

• Leverkusen have lost all ten UEFA competition ties in which they suffered a home first-leg defeat, most recently against Paris in the 2013/14 round of 16 (0-4 home, 1-2 away). Indeed, only once in those ten ties did they record a second-leg victory.

• Leverkusen's record in three UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L2:
3-2 v RCD Espanyol, 1987/88 UEFA Cup final
3-5 v FC Tirol Innsbruck, 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup quarter-finals
2-3 v Atlético, 2014/15 UEFA Champions League round of 16

Coach and player links
• Javier Hernández scored the only goal of Real Madrid's 1-0 aggregate win over Atlético in the 2014/15 quarter-finals.

• Hernández also found the net in Mexico's 3-1 win over Šime Vrsaljko's Croatia in the 2014 FIFA World Cup group stage.

• Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored in Turkey's 1-1 draw against Vrsaljko's Croatia in World Cup qualifying in September 2016.

• Diego Godín scored in Uruguay's 3-1 loss to Hernández's Mexico in the 2016 Copa América group stage.

• Simeone faced Leverkusen twice as a player with SS Lazio in the 1999/2000 first group stage, appearing as a late substitute in 1-1 draws in both Germany and Italy.

• Antoine Griezmann scored both France's goals in their UEFA EURO 2016 semi-final victory over Germany. Bernd Leno and Jonathan Tah were unused Germany substitutes.

• Aleksandar Dragović scored in Austria's 2-1 friendly loss to Filipe Luís' Brazil in November 2014.

• International team-mates:
Tin Jedvaj and Vrsaljko (Croatia)
Jan Oblak and Kevin Kampl (Slovenia)

Match facts

Atlético
• Filipe Luís and Gabi serve one-match bans.

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

• Griezmann and Gameiro have both scored six goals in their last seven games in all competitions.

Leverkusen
• Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Benjamin Henrichs are suspended. Dragović and Wendell are a booking away from a ban.

• Leverkusen have lost five of their last eight fixtures.

• The Werkself have kept only one clean sheet in their past 11 games.

• Leverkusen parted company with coach Roger Schmidt on 5 March, a day after suffering a 6-2 defeat by Dortmund. Tayfun Korkut has taken charge on a deal until the end of the season.

• Tah has been out with a hamstring injury since 3 February.

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