Coming off a back-and-forth 2-2 draw against Villarreal, Diego Simeone’s Atlético de Madrid side will travel to Sevilla this Saturday in hopes of securing their second win of the young season.
Sevilla have won both of their opening matches in La Liga: a last-second 2-1 victory against Rayo Vallecano and then a surprising 3-1 victory at Athletic Bilbao. Their intense pressing and counterattacking speed has been a key factor in their early success. Additionally, their ability to draw fouls in dangerous
areas has caused havoc for their opponents. Sevilla thus far have drawn a pair of penalties and two red cards across their opening two games.
The two clubs faced each other most recently in April, when a penalty from Akor Adams (now playing at Venezia) and a thumping header from Nemanja Gudelj (now a free agent) helped the Andalusian side past Atlético, 2-1, in La Liga’s first retro weekend.
Team news
Similar to the previous match day, Simeone will have to navigate player fitness concerns following the summer’s World Cup, as well as the ongoing Julián Alvarez transfer soap opera.
Summer signing Cuti Romero is unlikely to start, as the coaching staff does not want to rush the defender into the starting 11 until they feel he is ready to perform. It has also been confirmed that Alvarez, who missed his third consecutive team training session in a row amid his rumored exit to Arsenal, will not play on Saturday at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. Robin Le Normand will also be unavailable, as he will be serving a one-game suspension after his red card against Villarreal.
These setbacks bring challenges for Simeone when picking his lineup, but it also provides opportunities for players to prove their worth early in the season.
Strong showings from Lee Kang-In and World Cup winner Álex Baena have already provided evidence that they are deserving of being in the starting lineup; continuing to provide compelling performances while other players are unavailable will only strengthen their case.
Possible starting XI: Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Grimaldo; Giuliano, Koke, Barrios, Baena; Kang-In, Lookman.
