The colchoneros pursue their ninth consecutive victory to get even closer to the lead
MADRID, 7 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid will host Sevilla FC this Sunday (9:00 p.m.) on matchday 16, an important event to measure the team’s wardrobe and the performances of the colchoneros in a section of LaLiga EA Sports that is at cruising speed, but with the leader FC Barcelona less fierce after their draw this Saturday during their visit to Real Betis Balompié.
At the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Diego Pablo Simeone’s pupils will seek their ninth straight victory in all competitions. The last of them, a few days ago against CP Cacereño in the thirty-second final of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE, came in injury time and fortunately for the comeback goal scored by Rodrigo de Paul.
Without Antoine Griezmann, life is hard for an Atlético that had improved in the last month and a half, leaving behind that horrible afternoon of October 27 precisely at the Benito Villamarín Stadium. Since then, with the ‘Little Prince’ came key triumphs such as that of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and that of Alavés in the First Division.
Closing their gap with respect to Barça and Real Madrid, the red and whites have taken third place while still in the ‘ointment’ despite the arrival of Christmas, a time in which they have once had a lot of trouble. That is why it is key to get Griezmann back, after not being in Cáceres due to surgery to remove a tooth.
On the other hand, Robin Le Normand was at the Príncipe Felipe Stadium, who had been out since suffering a head injury with a subdural hematoma last September during a derby against Real Madrid. The Spanish-French central defender aims to start against Sevilla to the detriment of Josema Giménez, injured by a bruised ankle.
Although the Argentine winger Nahuel Molina and the French playmaker Thomas Lemar have already returned to training with the group, they will not be in ‘Cholo’ Simeone’s plans to receive a Sevilla team that has not won in the Colchonero fiefdom since January 17, 2018 in King’s Cup; Their streak in the League is worse, without winning since September 28, 2008.
SEVERAL INJURIES ON THE SEVILLISTA SIDE
In search of breaking that dynamic away from home against Atlético, The presumed ownership of Saúl Ñíguez, former colchonero, has attracted attention in the days prior to this duel.
The midfielder from Elche, called to be a bastion of cholismo, lost the trust of the Argentine coach in recent campaigns and accused him of his performance, without completing his 2021 loan to Chelsea nor in the following two seasons after his return to the Madrid club .
Now he is also on loan at Sevilla, where little by little he is settling into the midfield. However, García Pimienta is getting fewer points than many perhaps expected in the Seville entity. With 19 points and looking askance more towards the bottom positions than the noble positions, Sevillismo longs for an eleven that is recognizable.
The doubts in the goal, between Orjan Nyland or Álvaro Fernández, and in the right wing, between Juanlu Sánchez or José Ángel Carmona, as well as in the forward, between Dodi Lukébakio and Kelechi Iheanacho, mark the future of a Sevilla in decline this season, but still with plenty of time to climb in the League and dream of going far in the Cup.
TECHNICAL SHEET.
–POSIBLE ALIGNMENTS:
ATLÉTICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Galán; G.Simeone, Barrios, De Paul, Koke; Griezmann and Julián Álvarez.
SEVILLE: Á.Fernández; Carmona, Badé, Salas, Barco; Gudelj, Saúl, Sow, Peque; Lukébakio and Romero.
–REFEREE: Alberola Rojas (C. C-Manchego).
–STADIUM: Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
–TIME: 21.00/Movistar LALIGA TV.