An intriguing Champions League playoff tie kicks off in Bruges on Wednesday night, as Atlético Madrid visit the Jan Breydel stadion to face Club Brugge.
Diego Simeone’s side are aiming to banish a few demons in this season’s competition, with their reputation on the continental stage beginning to fade. While they’ve reached two Champions League finals under the Argentine’s watch, Atléti haven’t been as far as the last four since 2016–17.
They missed a great opportunity two seasons ago, losing to Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals, and were harshly eliminated on penalties to their city rivals Real in the round of 16 last time out.
Their wild inconsistency suggests this Atléti team are outsiders to complete a European conquest this go around, and they’ve got a sneaky tough test to merely progress into the last 16.
Club Brugge took a risk by parting ways with Nicky Hayen towards the end of 2025, but his successor, Ivan Leko, has built on Hayen’s sturdy foundations. A 3–0 victory over Marseille on the final day of the league phase ensured the Belgians progressed, and now they’re aiming to stage a big playoff upset.
Brugge bypassed Atalanta at this stage of the competition a year ago, and they’ve already shown that they can hang with Europe’s best.
Watch Club Brugge vs Atletico Madrid in UEFA Champions League Playoff Live Match Below.
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