The ledger Manchester United carry into Madrid on Tuesday is the kind of record clubs normally try to bury. Four competitive meetings with Atletico Madrid, from a Cup Winners’ Cup tie in 1991 to the 2021-22 Champions League last 16, have brought two draws, two defeats and no wins.
Kick-off at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano is at 9pm local time. Carrick’s side arrive on three points after beating Sabah 4-0 at Old Trafford in matchday one, while Atletico sit on zero after Liverpool came from behind to beat them 2-1 at Anfield.
Carrick’s first European away test
The Sabah opener was comfortable enough. Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko all struck inside the first half, and Lisandro Martinez added the fourth after the break.
“Really encouraging,” Carrick told reporters afterwards, pointing to “good execution individually and collectively throughout the game, clean sheet, goals, exciting football.”
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Madrid is a different proposition. Diego Simeone’s team arrive hurt from Anfield and under pressure to deliver at home, and the Metropolitano has long been one of the Champions League’s less inviting away trips.
An injury list that keeps growing
Sesko is a doubt. The striker scored on his first start of the season against Sabah but has since been hit by a recurrence of the shin issue that disrupted his pre-season. He missed the Fulham fixture, withdrew from Slovenia duty, and sat out a behind-closed-doors friendly against Lausanne-Sport.
Manuel Ugarte will not feature at all. The midfielder tore a knee ligament representing Uruguay at the World Cup in June and later underwent surgery, with the club expecting him to miss most of the 2026-27 season.
Matthijs de Ligt is still working back from back surgery, Noussair Mazraoui picked up a back problem during Morocco’s trip to Lesotho, and Patrick Dorgu is a fresh worry after a hamstring issue in Denmark’s Nations League tie against Wales.
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Simeone on the back foot
Atletico’s matchday one was a chastening ninety minutes. Marcos Llorente put them in front at Anfield before Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister turned the tie around for Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool. Another defeat on Tuesday would leave Simeone’s team two matches in with nothing to show for them.
The last two competitive meetings between these clubs both came in the 2021-22 Champions League round of 16, where Atletico edged a tight tie 2-1 on aggregate thanks to a Renan Lodi header at Old Trafford.
Kick-off at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano is Tuesday at 9pm local time.
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