Wobbling Atletico aiming for bounce back against Dortmund

Atletico Madrid's underwhelming start to the season might have been overshadowed by the crisis enveloping city rivals Real but there will be no place to hide against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.

A fortnight ago Dortmund dealt Diego Simeone's side a 4-0 drubbing, Atletico's heaviest defeat since the coach took charge 392 matches ago, while on Saturday they were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Leganes, 18th in La Liga and with six defeats already to their name.

This was supposed to be Atletico's year, primed for a title challenge by some impressive signings in the summer and eyeing a run at the Champions League, pumped by the prospect of a final inside their own Wanda Metropolitano in June.

Their failings against Dortmund and Leganes were more striking because they were caused by weaknesses in defence, their strong point under Simeone.

Dortmund pounced on Atletico to hit three in 10 minutes at the Signal Iduna Park, while on Saturday Leganes equalised thanks to lax marking at a free-kick.

- Lacking spark -
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Atletico are cast in Simeone's image and have rarely been easy on the eye during his tenure. After scoring from a nine-pass move against Huesca last month, the coach said: "I liked it because it ended with a goal."
Their backline in recent years has been the hardest to breach in Europe. "Nobody has the perfect way of playing," Simeone said last week. "It is about a pursuit of winning."
"Not least because of what he contributes to the atmosphere in the dressing room."
- Stumbling -
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