Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur: Champions League RO16 preview, predictions and bet builder tips

• Ladbrokes previews Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham in the Champions League round of 16

• Atletico backed to brush their opponents aside on a high-scoring night

• Conor Gallagher tipped to pick up a card in a tough match against his former club

Ladbrokes brings you an in-depth match preview for Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham including predictions, lineups and expert bet builder tips.

Tottenham's defeat to Crystal Palace last week has left them fighting for their lives in the Premier League, but their Champions League form has been impressive this season, with just one defeat from their eight league phase matches.

Atletico successfully navigated a UCL play-off against Club Brugge to get to this stage, but with Champions League defeats to Bodo/Glimt, Liverpool, and Arsenal already this term, they will have to be at their best to take an advantage into next week's second leg.

Below, you'll find our expert Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham bet builder tips, with hosts backed to get the better of a spiralling Spurs side.

• Fixture: Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur

• Competition: Champions League round of 16 (first leg)

• Date: Tuesday, 10 March, 2026

• Kick-off: 20:00 GMT

• Venue: Riyadh Air Metropolitano

Our prediction: Atletico Madrid 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Atletico Madrid

Our predicted XI (4-4-2): Oblak / Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri / Simeone, Cardoso, Koke, Lookman / Alvarez, Sorloth

Tottenham Hotspur

Our predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Vicario / Porro, Romero, Van de Ven / Gray, Palhinha, Bissouma, Simons / Gallagher, Tel / Solanke

To go along with our predicted scoreline of 3-1, the first leg of our bet builder is for both teams to score on Tuesday night, with two of the Champions League's highest-scoring teams going head-to-head.

Both Atletico and Spurs scored 17 goals in their eight league phase matches, and with neither club looking overly convincing defensively in recent weeks, we're expecting something of a goal-fest.

Atletico Madrid's record of one clean sheet in seven is actually bettered by Tottenham's measly tally of two in 13, so we can't back either team to shut their opponents out - even if the visitors do set up to frustrate their hosts.

It should be a thoroughly entertaining affair in Madrid, with two exciting attacks facing breachable backlines, so we're tipping BTTS.

On a night full of attacking intent, there should be a fair few attempts on goal, and we're backing Atleti's Giuliano Simeone to have at least one shot on target against Spurs.

Son of Atletico Madrid's fearsome manager Diego, Giuliano has proven himself as a real asset for the La Liga side this season with 14 goals and assists across all competitions - and we're expecting a confident performance from the Argentine against a bruised Spurs side.

The winger is averaging just under two shots per game in the Champions League this season, registering a shot on target every other match, and with Atletico surely set to attack Spurs from the off, he seems a smart pick here.

So we're backing Giuliano Simeone to have 1+ shots on target in our bet builder, with Vicario being forced into a number of saves throughout the evening.

Turning our attention to the cards markets, we're expecting Conor Gallagher to put in a typically busy performance against his former side as he looks to impress - but we think that overexuberance could lead to a yellow card for the Englishman.

Gallagher played more than 70 games for Atletico, and the 26-year-old will be returning to Spain with a point to prove after leaving for Spurs in January.

The combative midfielder commits just under two fouls per game on average in both the Champions League and the Premier League, and on an evening where Spurs aren't likely to have very much of the ball, Gallagher could have a lot of tackles to make.

With that in mind, we're predicting Conor Gallagher to be shown a card on Tuesday night, picking up his first yellow card in a Tottenham shirt.

Rounding off our Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur preview and bet builder, we're backing the Spaniards to take an advantage back to North London for next week's second leg, heaping further misery on a Spurs side without a win since January.

Tottenham have actually only won two games in the entirety of 2026, but those victories both came in the Champions League, so there will be hope that Igor Tudor's side can step up on the European front once again - however, we just can't see it.

Atletico Madrid have scored three or more goals in each of their last four home games, with the likes of Barcelona and Club Brugge feeling the wrath of Diego Simeone's ruthless attack, and with Spurs conceding two or more in 10 of their last 12 matches, they could be in for a chastening evening.

We're backing Atletico Madrid to beat Spurs on the night, gaining the upper hand in what could easily be a one-sided round-of-16 clash.

You can bet on each of these markets individually, or combine them to create an Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Bet Builder.

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.