Fresh off a long international break, Diego Simeone’s men head off to the Basque Country to square off against a rejuvenated Deportivo Alavés side.
The two sides have battled each other a total of 39 times in the clubs’ history, with Atlético Madrid winning 21 of those meetings. Their last match against one another came in January, when Alexander Sørloth generated enough power to push a header past Antonio Sivera and give Los Colchoneros a 1-0 win.
Alavés currently
sit sixth in the league. They’ve had a mixed bag of results (3-2-2) thus far, but have shown that when given the opportunity, they can score in bunches, evident after they put three past Getafe and five past Osasuna. In their last match against Athletic Club, Alavés did their best impression of a vintage Atleti lineup, suffering for most of the match to come away with a point away from home. They absorbed a staggering 24 attempts from Athletic Club, and were able to walk away with a 0-0 draw.
Lucas Boyé is Alavés’ top scorer with four goals, but the Basque side’s defensive consistency also has stood out. To date, Quique Sánchez Flores’ side has conceded only seven goals in the league.
For Atlético, their last match in the league was a resounding 2-1 win against rivals Real Madrid. Goals from Alejandro Grimaldo and recent signing Jonathan David were enough to come away with the three points. After some time away during this international break, the team will hope to maintain its attacking vigor at Mendizorroza, where Atleti have won only once from six tries.
Team news
During the international break, Alejandro Grimaldo returned early from Spain duty after he tweaked one of his quadriceps. The defender has made good progress in his recovery though, and Simeone has included him in Saturday’s match day squad.
Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas have been left out of the squad as a coach’s decision. All other first-team players are available.
Off the pitch, Julian Alvarez fired his agent after a long, grueling summer that ended in frustration for him as he failed to secure a move to Barcelona. Cholo Simeone did not reveal whether Alvarez would start Saturday following a productive international break with Argentina, for whom he scored in a 7-0 friendly victory over Burkina Faso.
“I see Julián as enthusiastic to contribute, he’s doing well,” Simeone said in Friday’s press conference. “He has the same desire as ever, and if he’s fit, he brings us a different identity in attack.”
Additionally, two-time NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has joined Atleti’s ownership group, not long before the superstar point guard’s own season starts with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
And finally, Into the Calderón also has an exclusive interview with former Atleti and Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld, who revealed how Diego Simeone made him a better player.
Predicted lineup
Oblak; Hancko, Le Normand, Pubill, Llorente; Baena, Cardoso, Koke, Giuliano; David, Kang-in.
