Atlético defends its crown

Eighty-five days after Suárez's tears in Valladolid, that Atlético had just been proclaimed League champion, with him fundamental, he, despised months before in Barcelona, ​​the rojiblanco team begins to defend the crown in Vigo (follow the game live on AS.com). An Atlético even more candidate against a Barça without Messi and a Madrid without more signing than Alaba.

Simeone, who will be on this bench for a decade in December, faces a major challenge: no rojiblanco coach has ever achieved three leagues. He has them, but one, the one from 1996, the one with the double, it was as a player. Something has changed from 2014 to the past, in seven years. So, talent diaspora (Costa, Filipe, Courtois …). Now nobody moves. Atlético 2021-22 looks better than the champion: to all those who were already added to De Paul.

It is the Argentine, signed from Udinese (40 million) Footballer with personality and good footing, signing of the rojiblanco summer. Waiting for the forward that Cholo wants (Mir gets cold, Vlahovic closer), has left flashes (corners, passes) in the two games he has played. Cholo has not really been able to measure much because his summer has been the cholitos. Perhaps his first real test is today, already without a net, against Celta. He will play with the 3-5-2 system, with Saúl on the left, Koke supported by Lemar and De Paul in the center and a doubt, between Llorente and Carrasco. One, will accompany Correa in point. The other, lane.

In Vigo, the fire around Denis Suárez, its representatives and the club for the departure of the young Bryan Bugarín to Madrid tarnishes the illusion that accompanied Celta de Coudet since last season. A fundamental Denis, by the way, for his coach. Javi Galán and Argentine goalkeeper Dituro join the block he already had. A Celtic that suffocates, that bites, vertical and deep. Against which Cholo will measure his match by match with the intention of turning it into championship by championship.

7,000 fans in the stands

Although the Balaídos stands were one of the few that in the last day of last LaLiga, 2020-21, the public was allowed to enter, today it will be different. One step closer to the reality we knew, the one before March 2020: Then 2,686 were lucky those who were able to enter Celta-Betis on the 38th matchday, which led to the return of the public. Today they will be almost triple, 7,000 subscribers of the Galician team (half of them, the oldest and the rest, by lottery) in a stadium with a capacity for 29,000 spectators. For Atlético it will be strange despite having returned to play with the public in the preseason, Soria, Germany, Cádiz, Rotterdam: It is in LaLiga and that has not happened more than a year and a half.