FC Rostov v Atletico Madrid Betting Tips

These two sides are heading in different directions in this Champions League group stage. Even before the first ball was kicked you could predict that Rostov would be exiting at the first hurdle with Atletico easily getting through to the knockout rounds. Of course this has proved to be the case.

Rostov have not had the greatest debut in the Champions League group stages. They would have definitely seen their last fixture at home against fellow underdog PSV Eindhoven as a must-win, however, they could only manage a 2-2 draw.

After putting PSV’s rivals Ajax away so convincingly in the qualifiers, as well as Belgian side Anderlecht, you would have expected Rostov to be able to take three points in the last round of fixtures.

The Russian side are usually reliable at the back, despite a number of big-name departures in the summer, and they will have been extremely disappointed to have conceded two first half goals to a rather mediocre PSV team.

Since then, Selmashi have done OK, picking up a good 2-0 win against Russian Premier League title challengers CSKA Moscow before being unlucky in a 1-0 loss away at Spartak Moscow where their full back Fyodor Kudryashov was unfairly sent off in the first half. They would have at least picked up a draw with a full complement of players.

Although Rostov have an excellent record at the Olimp-2 – where they have not lost a competitive game since 2nd May 2015 – keeping Atletico Madrid at bay will be an almighty task for Kirichenko’s men.

Recent years have seen Atletico Madrid challenge the usual suspects of Barcelona and Real Madrid – winning the La Liga title in 2014 for the first time since the mid nineties.

It is not only domestically where they have done well, but they’ve also thrived on the European stage. However, unfortunately for Diego Simeone’s men, when it comes to the Champions League, they’ve so far only managed to fill the position of bridesmaid rather than the bride – finishing runners up in both the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals.

Spanish football is often associated with flair and brilliance but Atletico have showed that with hard work, discipline and high intensity, it is possible to be successful. That is not to say that Atletico are not technically brilliant, which of course they are, but it really is that dogged style of play which has seen them do so well recently.

This year they could be set for another La Liga title and are currently top of the division with 18 points from eight matches. They are also yet to taste defeat. Their defence really is their bedrock and they have only conceded three goals in total during both their domestic and European campaigns. This undoubtedly helps against the bigger sides in Europe and they did remarkably well to pull off a 1-0 win against German champions Bayern Munich.

Antoine Griezmann was undoubtedly the best player at Euro 2016 and has carried that form into the new season for his club side and the Frenchman is currently La Liga’s top scorer with six goals to his name.

Another attacking player who is important to manager Diego Simeone is Belgian international Yannick Carrasco – although he probably does not start as much as he would like. He’s failed to register a goal or an assist this season before scoring a hat-trick and providing two assists in their weekend 7-1 thrashing of bottom-of-the-table Granada CF. Additionally, the 23-year-old got that important winner against Bayern in the last round of Champions League matches.

Carrasco certainly thrives on the big matches as he also scored in last year’s Champions League final against city rivals Real Madrid.

With Rostov unlikely to be withstand the Atletico pressure, it’s hard to see the Spanish side’s key players not getting in on the act. Griezmann should be at the front of the queue in this respect and punters should go with the Frenchman to score two or more at 9/2.

Another goalscorer bet involves the above-mentioned Carrasco and I would look at a goal-scoring double with him and Griezmann at the same price of 9/2.

As previously implied, despite their excellent home record, I can only see an Atleti win on the cards here. We saw how Rostov capitulated against Bayern Munich, albeit away from home, and it would not surprise me if the same happened against the Spaniards on Wednesday night.

‘Atletico Madrid to Win & Over 2.5 Goals’ at 7/5 looks a good bet. This means even a simple 2-1 victory would see you take home a profit and thus a surprise Rostov goal would not prevent a collection here. However, I imagine Simeone’s team will enjoy plenty of joy going forward tonight and should be capable of fulfilling the criteria of ‘Over 2.5 Goals’ by themselves.

See more Champions League tips here.