Atlético will carry out the first major test prior to the start of the 2020-21 season in a friendly match that will have nothing to do with those of previous years, when international tours pitted the rojiblancos with flashy teams in front of crowded stands. If Juventus measured the strength of Simeone's men in Sweden just before making their debut in the last league, when the rojiblancos fans were overwhelmed with enthusiasm after having scored 7 goals for Real Madrid in New Jersey weeks before, this time the rival will be Almería, in the Wanda Metropolitano and with total secrecy.
The match will be played at 17:00, no cameras or fans to witness what happens. Atlético planned two friendly matches prior to the league debut, on the weekend of September 26-27 against a Granada that will arrive much more rolled after having played two league days and also two previous rounds of the Europa League, so it is essential to reach that game in good shape. For this, it had to be measured last Tuesday to Cádiz in the historic Carranza trophy and have his last exam at Almería before the starting gun.
But the positive cases for coronavirus in Atlético, which affected Simeone, they forced to postpone that meeting and the Almeria team becomes the first stumbling block of a preseason that began three weeks ago. El Cholo, directing from home and with Bonvicini and Profe Ortega as his field generals, has been rehearsing this week an eleven that would be formed by Oblak; Trippier, Savic, Giménez, Lodi; Koke, Thomas, Saúl, Carrasco; Correa and Morata. Thus, João Félix should wait again from the bench like the few new faces of the team: the only signing of goalkeeper Grbic and Nehuén Pérez y Mollejo on their return from their prolific transfers.