Atletico Madrid v Manchester United: Preview, team news, stats and where to watch

/ Match Previews / Champions League Previews and Team News Atletico Madrid v Manchester United: Preview, team news, stats and where to watch Manchester United will be looking for a much-improved performance when they take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Our preview is here…

UEFA Champions League, League Stage – 2 Atletico Madrid ATM 13/10/2026 20:00 Manchester United MUN Venue Riyadh Air Metropolitano Referee Glenn Nyberg Where to Watch Atletico Madrid v Manchester United: TV and online streams Atletico Madrid versus Manchester United kicks off at 8pm BST (9pm local time). In the UK, it is being shown on TNT Sports. You can stream it on HBO Max.

If you live outside the UK, click the LINK HERE to find out where to watch it in your region.

If Michael Carrick needed a gentle game to steady the ship, this isn’t it. Manchester United head to the Metropolitano on Tuesday night to face an Atletico Madrid side in red-hot form, with the boos from Old Trafford still ringing in their ears.

United’s weekend was another painful one. Bryan Mbeumo finally broke the deadlock against Tottenham in the 73rd minute, and when Rodrigo Bentancur was dimissed five minutes later, three points looked nailed on. Instead, Dominic Solanke converted Sandro Tonali’s cross two minutes into stoppage time, and United were booed off. Prior to the sending off, winless Spurs had been much the better side, and Carrick was left with plenty of questions to answer.

Six points from six Premier League games is United’s lowest tally at this stage of a league season since 1986-87, and speculation about Carrick’s future is growing.

The Champions League has at least been a refuge. United thrashed Sabah 4-0 on matchday one, with Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha, Lisandro Martínez and Benjamin Šeško all scoring, and they currently sit third in the league-phase standings. Holding on to that position would be a significant achievement.

Diego Simeone’s Atletico have gone in completely the opposite direction since their opening night. A 2-1 defeat at Liverpool was followed by four straight La Liga wins, including a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in the derby and a hard-fought 2-1 win at Alavés on Saturday, where Cristian Romero headed an 87th-minute winner. Simeone’s side are second in La Liga and have scored 11 goals during that winning run.

History is not on United’s side either. They have never beaten Atletico in a competitive match, and Simeone’s side knocked them out of the Champions League last 16 in 2022.

United are without five players. Šeško is out with a lower-leg problem that Carrick described as “a similar area” to the shin injury he suffered earlier in the season, and there is no return date.

Patrick Dorgu came back from Denmark duty with a hamstring problem and is expected to miss “a number of weeks”. Matthijs de Ligt (back), Manuel Ugarte (knee) and Tom Heaton (abdominal) are also out, while Noussair Mazraoui is a doubt after a back knock on international duty with Morocco.

Carlos Baleba made his long-awaited debut off the bench against Spurs and could push for a start.

Simeone has an almost fully fit squad. Alejandro Grimaldo and Alexander Sørloth have shaken off knocks, and Pablo Barrios is back after the injury he picked up at Anfield.

Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Romero, Grimaldo; Giuliano Simeone, Barrios, Koke, Baena; Álvarez, David

Manchester United: Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martínez, Shaw; Baleba, Tielemans; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Rashford; Cunha

Atletico are difficult opposition, particularly at the Metropolitano, and this is another tricky assignment for a United side struggling to find any rhythm at the start of the season.

If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source