UCL: The mad Argentinean joins Ferguson and Wenger as a Champions League great

To be in the same story with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger is quite something. Atletico Madrid's boss Diego Simeone will take charge of his 100th Champions League game tonight when his Rojiblancos travel to Rotterdam to play Feyenoord.

The Argentine will become only the third coach in history to reach a century of games in Europe's strongest tournament at the same club. The names of his predecessors are the best benchmark to gauge the difficulty of this feat. Take a look at the graphic below, and you'll get an idea of how impressive a milestone this is for El Cholo.

Legendary coaches like Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Marcello Lippi, or Carlo Ancelotti haven't reached this figure at the same club, making Simeone look like one of the wise old heads. There was Ferguson's Manchester United and Wenger's Arsenal - and today, it's Simeone's Atletico. Not even the most optimistic Atleti fans could have imagined something like this in December 2011 when the former Argentina international first sat on their bench.

Simeone's 99 Champions League matches have resulted in 47 victories, 27 draws, and barely 25 defeats. His team scored 135 goals and conceded 89 over that span. Apart from the 99 in the Champions League, the Argentine has managed 26 Europa League games (the competition he won in 2012 and 2018) and two UEFA Super Cups. But this is about the Champions League, the tournament where Atletico has faced 33 opponents. Bayer Leverkusen, with eight matches, is the most frequent rival, although five other teams have encountered the Rojiblancos in six games: Porto, Chelsea, Madrid, Juventus, and Bayern. In short, the cream of the crop in Europe.

In the 99 matches led by Simeone, his trusty captain Koke reigns as the player with the most matches played, with 89. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak joins him on the podium with 78, while Saul Niguez is in the third position with 68. They are the veterans of the squad along with Jose Maria Gimenez in a decade for the history books. Among the top scorers, Saul also appears, with his 11 goals allowing him to be second above Diego Costa's nine. However, the best red-and-white goalscorer in the Champions League is Antoine Griezmann, who contributed to the 'Cholismo' movement with 30 goals.

With just two points separating the top three teams in the group and two matches remaining, Dutch champions Feyenoord has the opportunity to surpass group leaders Atletico if they can maintain their flawless UCL home record this season and spoil Diego's big night.

Their two home wins in the Champions League form part of an impressive streak of 16 undefeated matches in Rotterdam. Moreover, their track record against Spanish opponents at home has been fairly good, with only two defeats in seven encounters (W4, D1, L2), providing Feyenoord with a confidence boost. However, qualifying for the UCL knockout round under the current format remains uncharted territory for the Dutch club.

El Cholo's men secured a 1-0 victory against Mallorca in their last La Liga match, marking their club-record 16th consecutive home win in the league. On the road, however, their recent performances have been inconsistent (two wins and two losses in the last six games), with both draws occurring in the Champions League at Lazio and Celtic.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Group stage - Matchday 5

Tuesday

20:45: (1.55) Lazio (4.10) Celtic (6.00)

20:45: (2.05) Shakhtar (3.60) Antwerp (3.90)

23:00: (2.70) Feyenoord (3.35) Atl.Madrid (2.80)

23:00: (2.10) AC Milan (3.50) Dortmund (3.80)

23:00: (1.65) PSG (4.10) Newcastle (5.80)

23:00: (1.33) Man.City (5.50) RB Leipzig (8.50)

23:00: (2.15) Young Boys (3.60) Crvena Zvezda (3.50)

23:00: (1.50) Barcelona (4.30) Porto (6.50)

Wednesday

20:45: (2.80) Galatasaray (3.40) Man.Utd. (2.65)

20:45: (2.65) Sevilla (3.40) PSV (2.80)

23:00: (1.25) Bayern (7.00) Copenhagen (12.0)

23:00: (1.33) Arsenal (5.10) Lens (9.50)

23:00: (2.20) Braga (3.45) Union Berlin (3.25)

23:00: (1.90) Real Madrid (3.70) Napoli (4.40)

23:00: (2.75) Benfica (3.30) Inter (2.60)

23:00: (1.52) Sociedad (4.10) Salzburg (6.50)

***odds are subject to change***