UEFA Champions League regulars Atlético de Madrid and Leipzig kick off the new league phase at the Estadio Metropolitano to get their 2024/25 campaigns under way.

Atleti are making their 12th successive appearance in the competition – and reached the quarter-finals in 2023/24, the ninth time in that 11-season sequence they had made it to the round of 16 or further.

Leipzig are featuring for the sixth season running and also reached the knockout rounds in the most recent campaign; they have featured in the round of 16 or further in four of those five seasons.

Previous meetings

2019/20 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals

Leipzig 2-1 Atlético de Madrid

In a one-off tie at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, Spanish international Dani Olmo gave Leipzig a 51st-minute lead that was cancelled out by a João Félix penalty 20 minutes later. With extra time beckoning, a shot from Leipzig substitute Tyler Adams deflected in to give a Leipzig team coached by Julian Nagelsmann victory against Diego Simone's Atlético.

Form guide

Atlético de Madrid

Record vs German clubs: W22 D9 L20 F67 A66

Home record vs German clubs: W15 D5 L3

Atleti's 2023/24 Champions League journey was ended by Leipzig's domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals, a 2-1 home first-leg win not enough after a 4-2 second-leg loss in Germany.

That home win against Dortmund is Atleti's only success in their last eight games against German opposition (D2 L5), since a 1-0 home victory against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2019/20 group stage.

Atlético are unbeaten at home to Bundesliga opposition in 13 matches (W9 D4), dating back to a 1-0 defeat by Dortmund in the 1996/97 Champions League group stage.

Atlético are making their 15th appearance in the Champions League proper and a 12th in succession. They have featured every season since 2013/14.

Runners-up in 2014 and 2016, both against Real Madrid, Simeone's side finished top of their section on 14 points in 2023/24 and then ousted Italian champions Inter Milan on penalties in the round of 16 (0-1 a, 2-1 h aet, 3-2 pens) before losing that eventful tie against eventual runners-up Borussia Dortmund in the last eight (2-1 h, 2-4 a).

Despite winning all five home games in last season's competition, Atleti have managed only six victories in their last 16 home European fixtures (D7 L3).

Atleti have progressed to the knockout rounds in nine of their last 11 Champions League campaigns, missing out only in 2017/18 – when they went on to win a third UEFA Europa League and a second under Simeone – and 2022/23, when they finished bottom of their section for the first time.

The Colchoneros were fourth in La Liga in 2023/24, 19 points behind champions Real Madrid. It was their lowest league finish since 2011/12, when they were fifth.

Leipzig

Record vs Spanish clubs: W3 D2 L2 F11 A10

Away record vs Spanish clubs: W1 D1 L1

This is Leipzig's third successive game against Spanish opposition, their 2023/24 Champions League campaign having ended with a 1-1 draw at Atleti's local rivals Real Madrid in the round of 16 second leg; they had lost 0-1 at home.

That was only Leipzig's third away game against a Spanish side. Before losing 0-2 at Real Madrid on Matchday 2 of the 2022/23 Champions League, they had won 3-1 at Real Sociedad in the 2021/22 Europa League knockout round play-off second leg.

This is Leipzig's seventh campaign in the Champions League, all since 2017/18, and a sixth in a row.

Semi-finalists in 2019/20, the German club have now reached the knockout rounds in four of their last five campaigns, including 2023/24.

Last season Marco Rose's side finished second in Group G behind Manchester City, winning four of their six games and losing both to the holders, before being edged out by eventual champions Real Madrid in the round of16.

Leipzig's away European record is W13 D6 L14, with seven wins and five defeats in the last 13.

This is only Leipzig's eighth season of European football. They became the first club to make their continental debut in the Champions League group stage in September 2017.

In addition to reaching the last four of the Champions League in 2020, losing 3-0 in a one-off tie against Paris Saint-Germain, Leipzig were also Europa League semi-finalists in 2021/22.

Rose's charges were fourth in the Bundesliga in 2023/24, Leipzig's sixth successive top-four finish and a sixth in seven years since being promoted to the German top flight for the first time in 2016.

Links and trivia

Arthur Vermeeren is on loan at Leipzig from Atlético. The Belgian player joined Atleti in January 2024 and made five league appearances for the Spanish side.

Alexander Sørloth scored five goals in 30 Bundesliga appearances for Leipzig between 2020 and 2022.

Has also played in Germany:

Axel Witsel (Borussia Dortmund 2018–22)

Have played in Spain:

André Silva (Sevilla 2018/19 loan, Real Sociedad 2023/24 loan)

Xavi Simons (Barcelona youth 2010–19)

Witsel, who won the 2019 German Super Cup and the 2020/21 German Cup during his four years at Dortmund, made his Bundesliga debut against Leipzig, scoring BVB's third goal in a 4-1 win. He was also on target in a 1-0 Dortmund victory on 19 January 2019.

Robin Le Normand, Javier Galán and André Silva were team-mates at Real Sociedad in the 2023/24 season.

Rose was Witsel's coach at Dortmund in 2021/22.

International team-mates:

Axel Witsel, Arthur Vermeeren & Loïs Openda (Belgium)

Antoine Griezmann & Castello Lukeba (France)

Alexander Sørloth & Antonio Nusa (Norway)

Jan Oblak & Benjamin Šeško (Slovenia)

Latest news

Atlético

Atleti are unbeaten in La Liga this season, winning three games and drawing the others.

Los Colchoneros were 3-0 victors at home to Valencia on Sunday, summer signings Conor Gallagher and Julián Álvarez both scoring their first goals for the club and Antoine Griezmann getting his second of the season.

Atleti have won 25 home games since the start of 2023/24, level with Liverpool as the highest total among Europe's top five leagues.

Diego Simeone's side have scored nine goals and conceded two – both goals against coming away from home.

Pablo Barrios had to leave Spain's Under-21 squad during the international break due to muscular discomfort. Medical tests confirmed a ruptured muscle in his left leg that is expected to keep him out for several weeks.

Thomas Lemar has not played for Atlético since 16 September 2023, when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. The Frenchman was named in the squad for the final two games of last season's La Liga but did not play.

Robin Le Normand was sent off in Spain's 4-1 UEFA Nations League win in Switzerland on 9 September.

Leipzig

Marco Rose's side have two wins from three in this season's Bundesliga, their winning start ended by Saturday's 0-0 draw at home to Union Berlin, Loïs Openda having a second-half penalty saved.

On 24 August Leipzig prevailed 1-0 against Bochum thanks to a goal from substitute Antonio Nusa, becoming the club's first player to score on his Bundesliga and German Cup debuts. He had also registered the previous week as a late substitute in the German Cup first round in a 4-1 win at third-tier Rot-Weiss Essen.

On 31 August Leipzig won 3-2 at champions Bayer Leverkusen after being two goals down. Kevin Kampl scored the first goal and Openda the next two to inflict Leverkusen's first league defeat since 27 May 2023.

Benjamin Šeško scored all four Slovenia goals in a UEFA Nations League draw against Austria (1-1) on 6 September and a 3-0 win against Kazakhstan three days later.

Also on 6 September, Openda missed a penalty in Belgium's 3-1 win against Israel.

The following day Xavi Simons was on target as Netherlands beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 5-2.

On 8 September Yussuf Poulsen scored in Denmark's 2-0 win against Serbia.

Amadou Haidara suffered concussion in Leverkusen and had to miss Mali's September internationals, although he played 90 minutes on Saturday.

New signing Assan Ouédraogo has been sidelined by a knee injury since 31 July.

Xaver Schlager has not played since 3 May due to a knee injury.

Šeško signed a contract extension until 2029 in June.