Atletico Madrid take on Lazio on Wednesday 13 December in both sides' final group match of this season's Champions League. Both clubs have already qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament but there is still top spot to play for and this clash will decide which team finishes above the other. The Atletico Madrid vs Lazio last five H2Hs indicate that Atletico are the favourites to win but will it play out that way?
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Atletico Madrid vs Lazio H2H record
The Atletico Madrid vs Lazio rivalry is an interesting one in that it pits two teams together who are perhaps overshadowed in their own cities by other clubs (Real Madrid and Roma). As a result, they aren't steeped in too much European history but they have still met on five previous occasions.
- Atletico Madrid Wins: 2
- Draws: 2
- Lazio Wins: 1
The first Atletico Madrid vs Lazio H2H came in the 1997/1998 UEFA Cup Semi-finals. Since then, they have met three further times with both teams enjoying victories over the other on separate occasions.
– Photo by Icon sport
Atletico Madrid vs Lazio last five H2Hs
Atletico Madrid 0-1 Lazio – 31st March 1998
In terms of first encounters go, they don't get much bigger than the UEFA Cup semi-final. The match was played at the Vicente Calderón but things didn't go to plan for the home side. Vladimir Jugovic scored the only goal of the game for the Italians who then sat in and did what Italian sides best in the 1990s – defend for their lives.
Lazio 0-0 Atletico Madrid – 14th April 1998
Atletico had it all to do when they travelled to Rome for the return leg of their UEFA Cup semi-final with Lazio. The Spanish side gave it all they could but they couldn't break down a dogged Lazio side who sat in for the 90 minutes. It was the type of performance that Diego Simeone's Atletico have produced countless times over the past ten years. Lazio met Inter Milan in the final and lost 3-0.
Lazio 1-3 Atletico Madrid – 16th February 2012
It was another 14 years until Lazio and Atletico Madrid met again. This time, they were drawn to play each other in the knockout stages of the Europa League. The match represented Diego Simeone's first taste of European football as Atletico manager after taking charge midway through the season and his side did him proud on the night. A double from Radamel Falcao in the second half took the game away from the Italians.
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Lazio – 23rd February 2012
Having scored three away goals, Atletico already had one foot in the next round when they welcomed Lazoi back to the Vicente Calderón for the second leg. Simeone's men controlled the match and made sure of their victory thanks to a goal from Godin. Atletico would go on to win the tournament, beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the final.
Lazio 1-1 Atletico Madrid – 19th September 2023
The most recent Lazio vs Atletico Madrid H2H came in September 2023 at the very beginning of this season's Champions League. Sarri's Lazio weren't at their best and Atletico were on the verge of a big away win before goalkeeper Ivan Provedel sensationally fired in an equaliser in the 95th minute. Both teams have dominated Group E since and they will face off again on matchday six in a battle for top spot.
Potential MVP – Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann has been a key player for Atletico Madrid for nearly a decade now and his brief time away from the club at Barcelona has seemingly done him the world of good. The Frenchman has been excellent this season and has benefitted from Simeone's more attacking approach. So far, he has 13 goals in 18 appearances in all competitions and is the second-highest scorer in this season's Champions League.
Griezmann will be Atletico's main source of creativity on Wednesday night and with Lazio in the midst of a terrible run of form, he should thrive. If he can get two goals against Lazio, then there is every chance that he will head into the knockout stages as the competition's top scorer.
Key trend
The Atletico Madrid vs Lazio last five H2Hs suggest that a draw is perhaps the most likely result here. This would be a result more welcomed by Atletico as they only need a point to qualify as group winners, while Lazio need to push for the win. However, the form of Lazio this season can't be ignored so we are going for a 2-1 Atletico Madrid victory.
For more tips, check out our Atletico Madrid vs Lazio prediction.
