By Tim Collins
Atletico Madrid will welcome Bayer Leverkusen to the Vicente Calderon on Tuesday for the second leg of their round-of-16 tie in the Champions League.
For the hosts, who are facing a one-goal deficit after the first leg at the BayArena, this clash represents a pivotal point in their season.
Indeed, with their title defence in La Liga falling away following three consecutive draws and just one win in their last five in the Primera Division, the Champions League now appears to be Atletico's only hope of silverware for the remainder of the season.
But if Los Colchoneros want to repeat last season's run to the European final, a substantial form reversal needs to occur. With only one goal in their last four games and four in their last six, Atleti's attack has come to a grinding halt since the 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid in early February.
Looking to boost Diego Simeone's forward setup will be Mario Mandzukic, who should return to the XI after missing the draw with Espanyol due to suspension.
But Simeone will be forced to reshuffle elsewhere, with both Diego Godin and Tiago suspended for this match, meaning Jose Gimenez and Mario Suarez will likely to come into the side on Tuesday.
Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, come into Tuesday's clash in Madrid amid their best run of the season.
Since toppling Atletico in the first leg of this round-of-16 tie in late February, Roger Schmidt's men have recorded four straight victories and returned to the top four in the Bundesliga.
Utilising their high-tempo approach based around pressing and defending from the front, Bayer have continued their impressive form in front of goal while also tightening the defence, keeping five straight clean sheets since a 2-2 draw with Augsburg on February 21.
The visitors are likely to use a similar XI to the one seen for the first leg at the BayArena, featuring the high-octane front four of Karim Bellarabi, Heung-Min Son, Hakan Calhanoglu and Josip Drmic.
However, Schmidt could have some reshuffling to do if Lars Bender, Emir Spahic or Roberto Hilbert is unavailable through injury, all of whom are listed as doubtful by Goal.
Date: Tuesday, March 17
Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT/3:45 p.m. EDT/8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio Vicente Calderon, Madrid
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), Fox Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), Fox Sports Go (U.S.)
It's been a difficult couple of weeks for Mandzukic, who was left on the bench against Sevilla and Valencia, was the subject of reports regarding a possible rift between himself and Simeone, and was suspended for the goalless draw with Espanyol on Saturday, which effectively ended Atletico's title defence in La Liga.
Suddenly, an impressive first season at the Vicente Calderon has come to a halt for the Croatian.
He is likely to be reinstated for Tuesday's must-win clash in the Champions League, and it will be intriguing to see how Mandzukic responds to his first difficult stretch in the Spanish capital.
At the other end, Bayer's impressive forward Bellarabi will be keen to break his duck in this season's Champions League despite being his team's joint-leading scorer in the Bundesliga.
In the first leg of this tie, the German's influence was substantial, providing the assist for Calhanoglu's winner and helping the home side physically overwhelm Atletico's midfield with his incessant pressing and closing down without the ball.
But on a night when Atletico, due to the one-goal deficit, will be forced to be more expansive, Bellarabi might enjoy chances to score on the break as Simeone's men attempt to push high and stifle the visitors.
The clash in midfield on Tuesday will go a long way in determining which of these teams will progress to the Champions League quarter-finals.
In the first leg, Leverkusen's front four unsettled Atletico, hassling Los Colchoneros with speed and physicality in their own half and allowing Schmidt's midfield and back four to push up and dominate the territory battle.
For this second leg at the Vicente Calderon, Atletico will need to reverse that dynamic and establish their own physical advantage. If that is to occur, Mandzukic and Antoine Griezmann will need to charge down every ball up front, while Gabi and Suarez will have to garner the sense of control in midfield that was missing in the first leg.
