"Lee Kang-in's bench start in the previous match was for the Manchester United game," Spanish local media predict UCL starting lineup... "Top-tier alongside Alvarez and Baena"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The 'ace' of the South Korean national football team, Lee Kang-in (25, Atletico Madrid), is highly likely to start in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) match against Manchester United (England).

Atletico will play Manchester United in their home game for the second round of the 2026-2027 UCL league phase at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, at 4 a.m. on the 14th (Korean time).

For Atletico, this is a match where they need to turn the momentum around. They lost 1-2 away against Liverpool in their first tournament match. Currently sitting with one loss (0 points), they are ranked 25th among all 36 teams.

On the other hand, Manchester United secured three points with a big win in their first match. With a goal difference of +4, they are currently in fourth place.

With an important battle ahead, Lee Kang-in's chances of starting are seen as high.

Spanish local media outlet AS analyzed Atletico's predicted starting lineup ahead of the Manchester United match. The outlet identified Lee Kang-in, Julian Alvarez, and Alex Baena as strong candidates for the starting XI.

In particular, it was analyzed that the reason Lee Kang-in started on the bench in the previous league match was due to the Manchester United game.

Previously, Lee Kang-in was left out of the starting lineup in the last league match against Alaves. He then came on as a substitute for Pablo Barrios in the 12th minute of the second half.

AS stated, "Atletico manager Diego Simeone can utilize all his key players," adding, "Alvarez has a high chance of starting alongside Baena and Lee Kang-in."

Atletico is a team with a deep squad. World-class players are in fierce competition for the starting spots against Manchester United.

AS also noted, "Manager Simeone has many options," emphasizing, "The internal competition within the team is so intense that the starting positions for several roles have not yet been confirmed."

There are diverse options even in the defense. The outlet mentioned the possibility of Marc Pubill and David Hancko being used against Manchester United, noting that they did not start in the Alaves match.

However, it highly evaluated the recent form of Cristian Romero, Alejandro Grimaldo, and Marcos Llorente.

AS explained, "In particular, Romero and Grimaldo scored in the Alaves match," adding, "Ultimately, five key candidates are competing."

However, in the attack, Lee Kang-in's chances of starting were viewed even more favorably.

AS analyzed, "Lee Kang-in, Baena, and Alvarez started on the bench in the Alaves match with the UCL in mind."

It continued, "All three players are top-tier," assessing that they are expected to take the field to damage Manchester United's defense, which had a poor start in the EPL.

Jonathan David and Alexander Sørloth were classified as 'Plan B' for the frontline.

Regarding Ademola Lookman, who joined Atletico this summer, it noted that he "needs to find his good form again." All three players are expected to be on the substitute bench.

In fact, it was not only Spanish local media that predicted Lee Kang-in would start.

Football statistics site FootMob also included Lee Kang-in's name in its predicted lineup released ahead of the Manchester United match. FootMob placed Lee Kang-in in the attack alongside Alvarez and projected a starting appearance. The formation was 4-4-2.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original