Atletico Madrid v Bayern München: Champions League preview, predicted line-ups & tips

Neither of these two can say the league stage is going to plan.

Atletico Madrid sit 16th on four points after three games, while Bayern München are 14th on five, so a win for either side would lift them into the conversation for a top-eight finish and a straight route into the last 16.

The cut-off currently belongs to Barcelona in eighth on six points, which means a single result tonight could swing a lot.

The alternative is the play-offs, a place both clubs currently occupy and neither will fancy as a way of spending February.

It is a meeting of two heavyweights who are both, at this stage, a little short of where they would want to be.

Atletico Madrid have had a mixed start: a 2-1 defeat at Liverpool in September, then a 2-0 home win over Manchester United, then a 1-1 draw at VfB Stuttgart on 20 October.

That adds up to four goals scored and three conceded in three games, and their home record is the one clean sheet and the one win so far.

Bayern München have scored plenty. They thrashed Bodo/Glimt 5-0 at home, drew 3-3 at Viking, then drew 2-2 at home to Arsenal on 21 October.

That is 10 goals in three games, an average of 3.3 a match, but also five conceded, and they have yet to lose.

Harry Kane has four of those goals, two of them penalties, which makes him the obvious name on the Bayern team sheet.

Rotation is hardly the story here, because both sides are being forced into changes whether they like it or not.

With only three league-stage games played and both clubs outside the top eight, there is no sense of anyone resting players for a bigger night.

Expect two strong sides, each picked from whatever the treatment room allows.

Atletico lose a pair of defensive midfielders, one to injury and one to suspension, while Bayern are missing a chunk of their creative firepower.

The visitors do have 19 shots a game in their recent form, so the hosts' reshuffled middle looks like the area to watch.

Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Oblak; Marcos Llorente, Le Normand, Hancko, Grimaldo; Giuliano Simeone, Barrios, Koke, Lookman; Álvarez, Sørloth.

Bayern München (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Stanišić, Upamecano, Tah, Davies; Kimmich, Pavlović; Olise, Karl, Bischof; Kane.

Neither side is likely to deviate much from the usual shape, so the only real question marks are the midfield pairings left by those absentees.

Kick-off is at 8pm on Tuesday 3 November, which is UK time now the clocks have gone back.

The UK broadcaster for this game is not confirmed yet, and this page will be updated closer to kick-off.

It is a league-stage game, so there is no extra time. If the match is level after 90 minutes, it finishes as a draw.