LISBON, Portugal: So far so good for Atlético Madrid in the quest for its first Champions League title.

Diego Simeone’s team has caught all the breaks going into the decisive final-eight tournament in Lisbon. Old foes Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo are gone. It drew Leipzig instead of a more traditional powerhouse for the quarterfinals. And its rival lost its top player after Timo Werner left for Chelsea. Even when things went wrong and the squad was hit by Covid-19, Atlético avoided the worst as only two players were infected, and it could still make the trip to Portugal.

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