Man United must overcome three major challenges to snatch famous victory in Champions League

The games are arriving thick and fast for Manchester United now that the international break is over until November. The Reds threw away more points in a disappointing 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.

United will return to Champions League action after defeating Sabah 4-0 on opening night. The task will be substantially harder tomorrow, though, as they face Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital.

Looking for history The Red Devils have only played Atletico Madrid four times in their history in competitive matches. The two sides faced one another this summer in Sweden, and United came out 2-1 winners thanks to goals from Bryan Mbeumo.

Nonetheless, in thefour competitive gamesthey have played against one another, United have never won. They lost 3-0 away from home in the 1991 Cup Winners' Cup and drew 1-1 at Old Trafford.

They have also played each other in the Champions League. The Red Devils earned a credible 1-1 draw in Madrid but lost the second leg 0-1 at home, crashing out of the 2021/2022 competition.

Poor record versus Spanish clubs United will also have to overcome the rather poor record they have against Spanish sides. They have played against teams from Spain 78 times and only won 25.

They have 28 draws and 25 defeats in that time. They are improving, though, as they have only lost one of their last 10 matches against Spanish teams and won six of those games.

The most recent was a 4-1 win over Athletic Club in the second leg of the 2025 Europa League semi-final. Atletico in form United are entering the contest in no sort of form, having not won a domestic game since August against Ipswich Town.

What's more, Atletico Madrid have won four on the bounce, including a 2-1 win over Real Madrid last month. One source of hope, though, is that their last defeat was against English opposition, when they lost 1-2 at Anfield to Liverpool in September.