Atlético seeks refuge in the Metropolitano
Simeone's men hope to forget the defeat against Barça against bottom team Almería and prolong the success in their stadium
MADRID, 9 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
This Sunday (2:00 p.m./Movistar LaLiga) Atlético de Madrid clings to its fortress at the Cívitas Metropolitano to try to forget its setback against FC Barcelona, in a sixteenth matchday of LaLiga EA Sports in which it receives the bottom team Almería, in need to add so as not to sink even further.
A goal from the Portuguese Joao Félix, on loan from the red and white team to the Barça team, caused Diego Pablo Simeone's team to suffer their third defeat of the season in the domestic championship (1-0), all away from their fiefdom. With this, they fell to fourth place in the classification.
Seven points separate the colchoneros (31) from the leadership, shared by Real Madrid and Girona (38) at the beginning of the day, although it is true that they still have their postponed duel against Sevilla pending. On the horizon, close 2023, in which he still has to play five games -Almería, Sevilla, Lazio, Athletic Club and Getafe-, in the best possible way.
This Sunday, in addition, he will ally himself with the Metropolitano, a stadium of which he has made a fort. No team in Europe has accumulated as many consecutive successes at home as the red and white team, which has won 18 in a row in front of its home crowd – 16 in LaLiga and two in the Champions League. In return, his performance decreases when they move away from him: he has only won five times in his last 15 starts.
Before playing for first position in Group E of the 'Champions' on the last day against Lazio, also at the Colchonero venue, the 'Cholo' team receive a rival in need that Antoine Griezmann hopes to take advantage of. The French striker needs only four goals to surpass Luis Aragonés (173) and become the top scorer in Atlético's history.
The 'Little Prince', on the other hand, will once again form as an inside left, taking the place of Marcos Llorente – starter against Barça – and leaving space at the top for the Argentine Ángel Correa to accompany Álvaro Morata, of whom Simeone wants to recover the more version “forceful” after four games without seeing a goal.
Regarding the eleven that started at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Nahuel Molina, José María Giménez, Roro Riquelme – the three changed at half-time in Barcelona – and Mario Hermoso, who will leave their positions to Llorente – who will delay his position until the right-handed lane, Axel Witsel, César Azpilicueta and Samu Lino. Only Thomas Lemar and Pablo Barrios will not be available for 'Cholo'.
Opposite, Almería, mired in the last position of the table, is still looking for a league victory that has not yet arrived; It is the only team in the category that has not yet won this season, and only has four points, the last of which was achieved last weekend against Real Betis (0-0), whom it could not overcome despite the fact that He played from the half hour mark with ten men.
The Copa del Rey did not help to calm the waters either, since Gaizka Garitano's men were eliminated on Wednesday against a Second Federation team like Barbastro (1-0), another moral blow for a team that is already seven points behind. the salvation zone in LaLiga.
With the doubts of the injured Adrián Embarba and Gonzalo Melero, the Andalusians arrive in the Spanish capital with the absences due to injury of Luis Suárez, Marc Pubill, Ibrahima Kone, Martin Svidersky and Marko Milovanovic.
DATASHEET.
–POSIBLE ALIGNMENTS:
ATLÉTICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Llorente, Savic, Witsel, Azpilicueta, Samu Lino; De Paul, Koke, Griezmann; Correa and Morata.
ALMERIA: Louis Maximiano; Well, Caesar Mountains, Edgar, Akieme; Robertone, Lopy, Above; Baptist and Ramadan.
–REFEREE: De Burgos Bengoetxea (C.Vasco).
–STADIUM: Cívitas Metropolitano.
–TIME: 2:00 p.m./Movistar LaLiga.