How Griezmann Can Capitalise on Bellingham’s Absence in Thrilling Champions League Showdown

On Tuesday evening, Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid will venture across the city to challenge their long-standing rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League.

The Rojiblancos face the daunting challenge of trying to overcome the champions of Europe, who are keen to secure another title, albeit without their standout player Jude Bellingham, who is sidelined due to suspension for the first leg of this Round of 16 clash.

History isn’t on Atletico’s side, having suffered defeats to Los Blancos in both the 2014 and 2016 finals, in addition to being eliminated by them in the 2015 quarter-finals and the 2017 semi-finals, marking the last meeting between these two teams in this prestigious competition.

However, Atletico arrive at this fixture in fine form, having suffered only one defeat in their past 26 games across all competitions.

They remain unbeaten against Real this season and in their last four encounters, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side claiming victory just once in their last seven match-ups.

This could be Atletico’s best chance to end their misfortunes against their city rivals and secure a spot in the quarter-finals to face either PSV Eindhoven or Arsenal.

Interestingly, both teams have conceded the same number of goals (12) in this season’s Champions League, and have each netted 20 times in the group stage, highlighting the balance between the two sides thus far.

Bellingham quickly won the hearts of the Santiago Bernabeu crowd last season, tallying 23 goals and 13 assists in his debut LaLiga campaign. Any notion that he may have struggled this season is disproven by his performance so far in the 24/25 campaign.

With seven goals and six assists, he ranks third in his squad, behind only Kylian Mbappe (17 goals, three assists) and Vinicius Jr. (nine goals, five assists).

Real Madrid certainly have other scoring options, but no one can match Bellingham’s dynamic, box-to-box runs or his ability to surge into the area at just the right moment.

Moreover, the midfielder consistently seeks to get on the ball and drive his team forward.

His 138 ball carries in the Champions League this season lead the squad, and he ranks highly for touches in the opposition box, chances created, and attempted dribbles (29).

Out of his 22 runs into the attacking third, 21 were into significant areas of play, and he boasts an impressive pass completion rate of 90.1%, having completed 409 of his 454 passes.

Cumulatively, he averages nine kilometres covered per UCL match this season, which is another compelling statistic.

While Atletico might mainly focus on a more measured attacking approach, it’s crucial that their midfielders assert dominance to infiltrate deeper into Real’s territory and restrict the hosts to counter-attacks. This has been an issue for Ancelotti’s side this term, as evidenced by their two defeats against Barcelona.

Atletico managed a chancy 4-4 Copa del Rey semi-final draw against the Catalan giants recently, yet they were at their best only when exerting pressure.

Whenever they allowed Barcelona to play, goals followed. Conversely, once Atletico pressed on the offensive, they managed to reclaim control and dictate the tempo of the game, which proved pivotal to their success.

The gap left by his absence will provide Atletico’s players with scope to exploit what has been a sometimes fragile Real Madrid defence this season, and they must seize this opportunity.

The player Carlo Ancelotti will need to carefully monitor isn’t De Paul, but rather Antoine Griezmann.

This is likely to be the Frenchman’s farewell season before moving to the MLS, and his freedom to roam has posed significant challenges for opposing sides in both LaLiga and the Champions League.

For instance, in the top-tier European competition, he has netted double the goals compared to Bellingham (six versus three), and has contributed one extra assist (three to two).

His average of 4.4 touches inside the box per 90 minutes is also superior to Bellingham’s 3.4, and his 2.7 shots per 90 is notable.

While Bellingham has often been pivotal for Los Blancos, if Griezmann can effectively operate within the spaces that Bellingham usually covers, Atletico could exploit Real’s defensive frailties.

Griezmann may not surge into the box at speed like Bellingham, yet Real must be wary of his movement. His ability to drift into vacant spaces and involve teammates with an impressive 84.4% passing accuracy is a fundamental aspect of his game.

Griezmann’s 15 long balls completed out of 13 attempted in the competition this season also demonstrates that pressuring him might not mitigate his impact on the match.

Placing two players on him could inadvertently play to Atletico’s advantage, as it allows for more opportunities in traditionally congested central areas.

The French World Cup winner has already created nine chances in this Champions League season, and in particular, with Julian Alvarez in splendid form (21 goals in 40 appearances), Real will undoubtedly face a fierce battle to keep the Rojiblancos at bay for the full match.

Another highly anticipated Madrid derby awaits, setting the scene perfectly for the return leg just a week later.