Atletico Madrid vs Leicester City
Leicester arrive in the quarter-final stages of the Champions League for the first time in their history and face a side who would arguably have shared a similar underdog identity in competitions gone by. Now, however, Atletico Madrid have made it to the last eight on four consecutive occasions.
Diego Simeone’s men are no strangers to navigating tough situations and defying the odds, but this time around, the pressure is very much on the La Liga club to live up to their favourites’ tag. Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro have been linking up well of late, but Craig Shakespeare’s side should be watched warily after knocking out Sevilla.
Jorge Sampaoli knew that the Foxes were dangerous and that a goal from Jamie Vardy could entirely re-galvanise their ambitions for the campaign, but Sevilla were eventually powerless to resist as Leicester denied their opponents from dictating play and having the game their own way.
While the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Vardy are yet to star in the knock-out phases, the unit and team spirit that the Premier League holders possess are their most dangerous weapons.
