Atlético examines its state of mind at the Sánchez-Pizjuán
Sevilla measures the reaction of the colchoneros after falling in the first leg of the cup
MADRID, 10 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid will visit Sevilla FC this Sunday (6:30 p.m.) in a match corresponding to matchday 24 of LaLiga EA Sports, with the goal among the visitors of recovering the happy face that they lost in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. Rey, while the locals will seek to extend their slight improvement with Quique Sánchez Flores.
At the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium, Sevillians and Madrid residents will meet for the third time in a month and a half. The previous two ended with a Colchonero victory, but both 1-0 at the Cívitas Metropolitano. And now the status of visitor will weigh, tormenting Atlético in the League.
Four consecutive defeats away from home made Christmas miserable for Diego Pablo Simeone's pupils, going from fighting for the lead to fighting for third place. Real Madrid and Girona FC are slowing down a bit at the top, so FC Barcelona and Athletic Club are now the great rivals.
Precisely, the Bilbao team beat Atlético (0-1) in those 'semi' cup matches and broke its rival's unbeaten streak in front of its audience, which dated back to January 8, 2023. Although the return leg is missing in San Mamés, that Defeat mitigated the fervor of a Colchonera fan base that rests its hope of winning further and further away from the league tournament.
With that in mind and having a tight calendar, in which we already see the round of 16 of the Champions League against Inter Milan, 'Cholo' Simeone could give a rest to his great figure, Antoine Griezmann who last Wednesday Against Athletic he didn't do well.
The Colchonero '7' showed fatigue, starting game after game while Álvaro Morata competes with Memphis Depay for the other place up front. Ángel Correa has also had quality minutes and will threaten Sevilla if he finds some space on the right wing.
On the other hand, Samu Lino seems to have won the title fight against Roro Riquelme, although the youth player is a usual last-minute weapon for Simeone. Without Saúl Ñíguez, sanctioned due to an accumulation of yellow cards, the Colchonero coach will also not have Thomas Lemar or César Azpilicueta, both still injured for several weeks.
On the Sevilla side, their recent 1-2 in Vallecas gave peace of mind to a squad in question. However, in the following days there was more talk about extra-sports than about the valuable victory against Rayo, due to the aggression suffered by Lucas Ocampos when trying to take a throw-in.
After half an hour of that match, a Rayista fan located in the first row of the stands inserted a finger into Ocampos' anus. The incident tarnished the effective version of a Sevilla team that has 20 points and that with its new coach intends to climb positions as soon as possible.
Sánchez Flores has only been at the club for a short time, but he has already made it clear that he hardly trusts Rafa Mir and Adnan Januzaj. With both presumably lacking minutes, the young Isaac Romero and Youssef En-Nesyri, author of the two goals in the important victory in Vallecas, will repeat in attack.
DATASHEET.
–POSIBLE ALIGNMENTS:
SEVILLE FC: Nyland; Navas, Bade, S. Ramos, Coin; Summary, Horse, Suso; Ocampos, Rosemary and En-Nesyri.
ATLÉTICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Llorente, Savic, Witsel, Hermoso, Lino; Barrios, Koke, De Paul; Memphis and Morata.
–REFEREE: Iglesias Villanueva (C. Gallego).
–STADIUM: Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.