Atlético Madrid will close out 2025 with a trip up to Cataluña to face Girona FC on Sunday lunchtime.
Diego Simeone’s side will be playing their sixth and final match of December, in what has been a busy, three-competition period.
Atleti (10-4-3, 34 points) have been unable to close the gap to the top teams in recent weeks, and still sit in fourth place. A win tomorrow would have them leapfrog Villarreal momentarily, but the Yellow Submarine will hold three matches in hand over Los Rojiblancos before
they take on FC Barcelona in the following match on Sunday. Anything less than a win will give those behind Atlético a chance to put the pressure on, seeing as they only hold a four-point advantage over fifth place, and Espanyol (currently fifth) have a game in hand.
As for tomorrow’s opponents, Girona (3-6-7, 15 points) are facing a real possibility of being relegated back to the second division for the first time since the 2021/22 season. After challenging for the title barely two years ago, it’s been a steep decline for Michel’s men, who are now fighting for their LALIGA status.
There will be a couple of familiar faces on show at the Estadi Montilivi for the home side, as Thomas Lemar and Axel Witsel both moved to Girona from Atleti in the summer. Lemar, on loan, is yet to get off the mark for his new club; he’s made seven league appearances but still hasn’t found the back of the net. He looked like being an important figure, showing early signs of promise within the team, but he has since seen injuries disrupt his season (again), which has led to him falling out of favour with the manager. As for Witsel, he’s played 13 times in LALIGA, and has one goal to his name. It wasn’t just any goal, but an overhead kick in the Cataluña derby against Barça no less.
Montilivi hasn’t always been a favourable place for Atleti to travel, with just two wins in their six visits there. The most memorable match of late was the 4-3 loss suffered in January 2024, when Álvaro Morata scored all three of Atlético’s goals. That was a Girona who went joint top of the league with that win, boasting players such as Savinho and Artem Dobvyk. How times have changed since…
Team news
Atleti have been dealing with multiple injuries in the winter months, though some of them could make a return to the team this weekend.
One player who has recently joined the list is Clément Lenglet, who picked up a serious knee injury against Atlético Baleares in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night. He’s expected to be out of action for two months.
Journalist Pedro Fullana of Cadena SER has reported that both José María Giménez and Álex Baena could “arrive” fit and ready to play against Girona, although it still looks like they have work to do in order to make this happen. Fullana also mentions that Alexander Sørloth is more likely to overcome his physical issues, and he should be involved in some respect on Sunday.
Marcos Llorente has been greatly missed at right-back in the last few matches, and although he might not make the starting lineup, he’ll be on the bench and ready to come on to contribute for the first time since Nov. 23. With Nahuel Molina offering as much assurance as a Nigerian banker with your money, it could be an option to see Markus Pubill start at right-back. That would open up a center-back partnership of Dávid Hancko and Robin Le Normand, with Matteo Ruggeri ready to complete the back four.
Business as usual across the midfield, with the Argentines on the wings and the Spaniards in the middle. Giuliano Simeone and Nico Gonzalez haven’t had many goal contributions to shout about recently, but center-mids Koke and Pablo Barrios have been on fine form.
Predicted lineup
Oblak; Pubill, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri; Giuliano, Barrios, Koke, Nico; Alvarez, Griezmann.
