Atlético opens fire against the excited Granada
Simeone’s men receive the newly promoted in search of his first victory of the course
MADRID, 13 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid kicks off this Monday at the Cívitas Metropolitano (9:30 p.m./Movistar LaLiga) the 2023-24 LaLiga EA Sports season, in which Diego Pablo Simeone’s men aspire to continue ‘annoying’ FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, something that they must begin to show against the recently promoted Granada, who wants to start with a surprise.
For the umpteenth consecutive year, the rojiblanco team, third classified in the 2022-23 campaign, starts with the intention of being among the best in the highest category of Spanish football, and there would be no better way to start this company than to do it with a victory in home.
In fact, the ‘Cholo’ pointed out “regularity” as the most important factor for this season, especially after a past season in which the disappointing performance up to the World Cup in Qatar prevented them from reaching higher levels; Already in the second section of the championship, the benefits improved enormously. “Regularity in football is the most difficult, maintaining the balance of the game, intensity and work is the most complex,” he said. “The areas end up defining the seasons, and let’s see if we can be strong there,” he added.
The sensations of the short preseason, with more touch than usual in the mattress team, have been good, with a victory against European champion Manchester City and two draws against Real Sociedad and Sevilla, which made us forget the initial setback against a Combined stars of the South Korean league.
In addition, the team has been able to strengthen itself, especially at the back, with the arrival of the Turkish Caglar Söyüncü for the central axis of the defense, the versatile César Azpilicueta and the left back Javi Galán. While waiting for the midfielder desired by the club to arrive, they will add Samu Lino and Rodrigo Riquelme up top, although the uncertainty lies in knowing who will be Antoine Griezmann’s companion.
The Portuguese João Félix, unofficially removed from the squad, seeks his way out in a lead in which Álvaro Morata is emerging as a partner for the Frenchman, with Memphis Depay waiting. Behind, the casualties of the injured José María Giménez, Reinildo and Nahuel Molina, as well as the prolonged suspension of the Belgian Axel Witsel, will condition the line-up.
A priori, Simeone will form with three central defenders -Azpilicueta, Stefan Savic and Mario Hermoso- and with Marcos Llorente and Yannick Carrasco as full-backs, while Koke, Thomas Lemar and Rodrigo de Paul will be in charge of the rojiblanco team’s machine room. Under sticks, the Slovenian Jan Oblak.
Opposite, Granada seeks to give the bell its return to the First Division, after a campaign in which they managed to proclaim themselves Second Division champion at the hands of Paco López. The Valencian coach will be in charge of trying to settle the team in LaLiga EA Sports.
Only two players, the center-back Raúl Torrente -suffering from muscular problems- and the Israeli striker Shon Weissman -separated by the club-, will miss the historic event, in which the Nasrid team will foreseeably start with an eleven very similar to that of the season pass.
Thus, the center-back Jesús Vallejo, the midfielders Gerard Gumbau and Gonzalo Villar and the Portuguese winger Wilson Manafá, brand new signings for the Andalusian team, will wait for their opportunity on the bench. Albanian Myrto Uzuni, top scorer in the Second Division last year, will be accompanied on top by youth squad player Samu Omorodion or José Callejón.
DATASHEET.
–POSSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
ATHLETIC MADRID: Oblak; Llorente, Azpilicueta, Savic, Hermoso, Carrasco; Lemar, Koke, DePaul; Griezmann and Morata.
GRANADA: Ferreira; Ricard, Miguel Rubio, Ignasi Miquel, Neva; Bodiger, Melendo, Sergio Ruiz, Bryan; Uzuni and Omorodion.
–REFEREE: Pulido Santana (C. Las Palmas).
–STADIUM: Cívitas Metropolitano.
–TIME: 9:30 p.m./Movistar LaLiga.