Atlético Madrid vs. Bayern Munich: A Clash in Red

As Diego Simeone prepares to close in on a legendary milestone by becoming the manager with the most wins in La Liga history, he first has to fend off a mighty Bavarian side boasting the current Ballon d’Or winner. With both sides in red-hot league form, Atlético Madrid vs Bayern Munich promises to be a key fixture that will have major repercussions on how the final league-phase table in the Champions League shapes up. Here is our preview for Atlético Madrid vs Bayern Munich.

Atlético Madrid Can’t Stop Flying

Diego Simeone equaled the record for the most wins by a manager in La Liga history with 344 last time out against Levante, as Los Rojiblancos briefly reached the top spot in the La Liga standings before Barcelona, with a game in hand, took it off them. Regardless, bragging rights for the city of Madrid sit comfortably with Atleti, who sit second in the table, one place above Real Madrid, whom they also beat in the Derbi Madrileno.

Simeone literally couldn’t have asked for a better start to his season after all the controversies that marred the summer involving players like Julián Alvarez and Matteo Ruggeri, as well as the painful departure of club legend Antoine Griezmann.

With only two losses in the entire season so far as we enter November, Atleti enter this fixture as one of the best sides in Europe in terms of form. They are currently on a seven-game winning streak in La Liga, a run in which they have scored 15 goals.

The two Alexes for Atleti, Baena and Grimaldo, have started the season with five and four goals each, earning crucial points for the team, while new signings Jonathan David and Lee Kang-in have also scored five goals between them.

Harry Kane Enters Europe as the Ballon d’Or Winner

For a man who seemingly can’t stop scoring, the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner will enter this game having surprisingly blanked in Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund last weekend. Not just that, but the English skipper missed a penalty in the 56th minute, after which Borussia Dortmund scored twice to draw the game. Kane is two goals behind Michael Olise, Bayern’s top scorer this season, with 12 goals. And with four goals already in the Champions League this season, who’s stopping a man like Kane, who doesn’t often blank in two games in a row?

However, the story in the Champions League and Bundesliga is quite different for Bayern. In the Bundesliga, they are once again dominating unopposed, having remained unbeaten after eight games. They have already scored 27 goals in those games, with three big victories coming against Union Berlin (7-0), RB Leipzig (6-1), and VfB Stuttgart (5-0).

In the Champions League, however, they’re only marginally better Atleti, sitting 14th with five points to the Madrid side at 16th with four. Bayern won their opening game against Bodø/Glimt 5-0, but have since drawn 3-3 with Viking and 2-2 with Arsenal in their next two games. Whoever wins this tie is going to leapfrog the other and make life difficult for the team that ends up on the losing side as they try to qualify automatically for the next round.

Atlético Madrid vs Bayern Munich: The 1974 UCL Final Rematch

Atlético Madrid, back in 1974, could have become the second Spanish club ever to be crowned European champions. After Real Madrid’s early dominance, and Barça still unable to compete in Europe consistently, Atleti found themselves in the final of the 1974 European Cup against Bayern Munich.

Bayern Munich, boasting that strong West German spine of players who would win the World Cup later that year, could not break down an Atlético Madrid team coached by Juan Carlos Lorenzo. With the score at 0-0 after 90 minutes, the game went into extra time. In the 115th minute, Atlético Madrid thought they had won their first-ever European Cup after Luis Aragones struck a free kick (the same person with whom Diego Simeone is tied for the most wins as a manager in La Liga) into the net. However, with just seconds left before full time, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck of Bayern Munich scored an equalizer, and the game ended in a draw.

Since UEFA had no rules for penalty shootouts to decide the final match of a competition (they had them for knockout matches only, not finals), the entire game had to be replayed just a few days later to find a winner. This time, Bayern Munich won 4-0 and claimed the European Cup as Atlético Madrid were left heartbroken. It was the one and only time a European Cup or Champions League final was ever decided by a replay.

Atlético Madrid vs Bayern Munich: Head-to-Head and Facts

• The two teams have met a total of eight times in their history, with Bayern winning four matches and Atleti winning two.
• Atleti are not the best scoring side against this opponent, as they have only netted five times against Bayern in the eight matches they have played.
• However, Atleti have scored in every single one of their last 20 home European games at the Estadio Metropolitano.
• Atletico Madrid have won 10 of their last 12 games in the league phase of the new format of the competition.
• Bayern Munich have won nine and drawn four of their last 16 games against Spanish opponents.
• Harry Kane is looking to tie Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of scoring in 11 consecutive Champions League games, with the English striker having scored against Bodø/Glimt, Viking, and Arsenal already this season.

Atlético Madrid vs Bayern Munich: Team News and Prediction

Simeone’s men have some problems in midfield, as both Koke and Johnny Cardoso are out.. Morten Hjulmand, who picked up a red card in the previous round against VFB Stuttgart, will also be unavailable for selection.

Bayern Munich are carrying a plethora of injuries, starting all the way in goal with Manuel Neuer doubtful for the fixture. Luis Diaz, Serge Gnabry and Ismael Saibari are all out of action as well. Expect to see a similar lineup to the one deployed in Der Klassiker.

Prediction: Atlético Madrid 3-2 Bayern Munich