Preview: Club Atlético de Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur FC

Ah, the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. The stage where Europe’s elite separate the wheat from the chaff, and where Tottenham Hotspur usually discovers new and creative ways to break their fans' hearts. This Tuesday, the Riyadh Air Metropolitano plays host to a tactical clash so jarring it might actually break the laws of physics: Diego Simeone’s defensive dark arts versus Ange Postecoglou’s suicide high line.

Atlético Madrid comes into this sitting comfortably as the third-best team in Spain—at least according to the ELO rankings that probably value "shouting at referees" as a key performance indicator. They are the footballing equivalent of a root canal: painful, long, and you’ll probably regret the experience. Antoine Griezmann is still there, aging like a fine wine while everyone else in the squad ages like they’ve been left out in the Madrid sun for three weeks.

Then we have Spurs. Currently ranked 27th in the global ELO standings, they are essentially the "participation trophy" of the Premier League's elite. While they’ve managed to "Angeball" their way into the knockout stages, one has to wonder if playing a defensive line that starts at the halfway line is a wise move against a team that specializes in the 1-0 victory. Son Heung-min remains their only hope, carrying the weight of North London on his shoulders like a man who forgot to ask for a release clause.

EXPECT fireworks, or at least expect Simeone to run three miles along the touchline while Postecoglou says "mate" forty-five times in the post-match press conference. Tottenham will dominate possession, look incredibly pretty for twenty minutes, and then inevitably succumb to a 89th-minute header from a corner that shouldn't have been awarded. It is the history of the Tottenham.

Prediction: Atlético Madrid 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur