Atlético Madrid head for Bilbao this weekend to face Athletic Club in the fourth round of La Liga.
Diego Simeone’s men will be hoping to secure successive away wins following last weekend’s impressive 3-1 victory over Sevilla.
Los Colcheneros have won six of their last 10 meetings against Los Leones. The most recent meeting took place in April, when goals from Antoine Griezmann and Alexander Sørloth saw Atlético squeak past Athletic by a 3-1 scoreline.
Athletic have just one win in three matches under new boss Edin Terzić. They shipped five goals in losses to Sevilla and Barcelona, though Unai Simón kept a clean sheet in last week’s 2-0 win away to Celta Vigo.
Players like Álex Berenguer and the Williams brothers have shown individual brilliance in front of goal. Atlético will be keen to dictate the pace of the match early to prevent the hosts from gaining any momentum.
Team news
As the transfer window came to a close early this week, Atlético made some last-minute moves and closed the case on whether Julian Alvarez would be leaving the club.
Right before the deadline, Atlético brought in Canadian forward Jonathan David on loan from Juventus, bringing the club’s total number of new players to five in this summer transfer window. They also sent out veteran defender Josema Giménez on loan to Deportivo de A Coruña.
After months of transfer drama, Alvarez has decided to remain at the club. The Argentine is back in team training and will be in the squad for this upcoming match against Athletic.
In other news, Marcos Llorente has announced that he will be retiring from international play for Spain, shifting his focus fully on his club career. The 31-year old won the World Cup with Spain in July and thus ensures he will go out on a high note.
Predicted starting XI
Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Grimaldo; Giuliano, Barrios, Hjulmand, Lookman; Kang-in Lee, Baena.
