They retrieved the tactics board on Monday night
Atletico Madrid reportedly left their tactics board at Old Trafford ahead of their Champions League quarter-final clash against Manchester United on Tuesday.
The reigning LaLiga champions trained at the stadium on Monday evening before returning to their hotel in the city centre.
However, staff quickly realised that the tactics board was missing after unpacking their kit and equipment from the bus.
The vehicle that dropped off the players and staff had already left the stadium, which led to a member of the Atletico backroom team asking the driver to return to Old Trafford so that they could retrieve the board, as per the Sun.
Thankfully – for the Spaniards – they were granted access to the stadium and were able to get it back the same night.
It remains unclear whether any United employee came across the tactics board and if they had any relevant information to pass on to interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
Atletico Madrid left their tactics board at Old Trafford after their training session yesterday evening. It is not known if any #mufc staff who will have been cleaning up the away dressing room were able to glean anything from the board #mulive [@ncustisTheSun]
— utdreport (@utdreport) March 15, 2022
The first-leg of the tie ended as a 1-1 draw at the Metropolitano Stadium, with youngster Anthony Elanga scoring late to salvage a draw for the Red Devils after João Félix had opened the scoring.
Rangnick has called on his players and the supporters to be on ‘top form’ like they were in the thrilling victory over Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.
“Like in the game against Spurs, we need our players and supporters to be on top form,” he said
“Antonio Conte said it was a very difficult atmosphere for them to play in, and that’s probably one of the biggest compliments you can get if the opposition manager says that after the game.
“We had a team against Spurs that just wanted to win that game. It became obvious and the supporters played a vital role because they realised how much we wanted to win. Tomorrow will be similar.
“Our supporters play a vital role and it’s always a very special atmosphere at Old Trafford, even more so in European games.
“In the end they can be our 12th and 13th player on the pitch and make the difference, making it a very special experience for everyone.
“In the end it’s up to us. We have to create those moments and then the rest will come from our fantastic supporters.”
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- Old Trafford could be knocked down as Man Utd look to upgrade stadium
- Gary Neville criticised for tweet claiming Rashford would lose ‘off pitch voice’ without Man Utd
- Erik ten Hag ‘makes contact’ with Man Utd players ahead of potential Old Trafford switch
