Sandwiched in between the two legs of Atlético de Madrid’s UEFA Champions League semifinal is a matchday 34 showdown with Valencia in LaLiga. It’s a Saturday afternoon kickoff at Mestalla, where Atlético will rotate heavily once again amid injuries to key players — who will be afforded further rest following Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Metropolitano.
Atlético Madrid (18-6-9, 60 points) snapped a four-game losing skid in LaLiga last weekend with a 3-2 home win over Athletic Club. The Rojiblancos remain five points behind Villarreal for third place, but top four — and a 14th successive qualification to the main phase of the Champions League — is not in any danger given Atlético’s 10-point gap to Real Betis in fifth place. And if Atleti go on to knock out Arsenal in midweek, Spain is well-positioned to receive a fifth Champions League place for next season due to the country’s strong UEFA coefficient.
Valencia (10-9-14, 39 points) are five points clear of the drop zone and five points adrift of Getafe in sixth place — which is a UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying place. It means Los Che, sat 12th in the table, are in no man’s land as the season enters its final few weeks. As it stands, Valencia are ticketed for a fourth bottom-half finish in six seasons, though it appears Carlos Corberán’s men will avoid what would be a disastrous relegation. Smart transfers in January — such as veteran midfielder Guido Rodríguez and a reunion with forward Umar Sadiq — likely will ensure Valencia’s stay in the top flight.
Team news
Diego Simeone confirmed in Friday’s press conference that none of Julián Alvarez, Josema Giménez, Giuliano Simeone and Alexander Sørloth will make the trip to València as they recover from various injuries. All players except Giménez (who is gradually returning to training) are expected to travel to London for the second leg of the Champions League semifinal on Tuesday.
(By the way, it appears that Alvarez is getting close to renewing his contract.)
As has been the case in recent weeks, we can expect Cholo Simeone to roll out an 11 with squad players and youth-teamers at Mestalla. Defenders Javier Boñar and Julio Díaz last started in the 3-2 loss to Elche but could return to the lineup here as they continue to showcase their credentials for loans with Primera next season. None of Dávid Hancko, Marc Pubill or Matteo Ruggeri will be risked, at least from the start of Saturday’s match.
Thiago Almada is expected to return to the lineup after he missed the Athletic game through suspension, while Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas have become Simeone’s preferred pairing for the league matches, when Koke, Johnny Cardoso and Marcos Llorente can rest.
The final piece in attack may well be Álex Baena, who with Antoine Griezmann is the only fit option at the moment. Griezmann might play at Mestalla but is not likely to start after he played 90 minutes against Arsenal on Wednesday.
Predicted XI Musso; Molina, Boñar, Le Normand, Lenglet, Díaz; Morcillo, Mendoza, Vargas; Baena, Almada.
