Atlético seeks to attack the ‘Top 8’ in the Champions League
The red and whites, who come forward, want the tenth consecutive victory at the expense of a Slovan from Bratislava that has not yet scored a point
MADRID, 10 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid receives this Wednesday (6:45 p.m.) Slovan de Bratislava at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, on the sixth day of the League Phase of the 2024-2025 Champions League, with the aim of extending its good sporting moment by adding a tenth consecutive victory that would put them squarely in the fight to finish among the top eight in the table, which gives direct access to the round of 16.
The red and whites have been different since Halloween night on October 31, when they won the Copa del Rey against Vic, the starting point from which they have been oiling their machinery until reaching their best version. Now, Simeone’s team is flying in the League, Cup and Champions League, winning nine consecutive games, making it the most in-form team in Spanish football.
The reaction came on time at Atlético, and now, everything works perfectly. The team has recovered the defensive solidity so characteristic of Simeone’s first successful seasons. The colchoneros have kept a clean sheet in five of the last nine games, in which only Sevilla has been able to score more than one goal, with a local victory (4-3).
A hallmark that he has maintained in Europe, leaving Paris Saint-Germain and Sparta Prague without scoring, both at home. Two matches that have allowed Atlético to re-engage in the fight for the ‘Top 8’ of the classification. These six points, added to the three achieved against Leipzig, place the colchoneros in 15th place in the table, just one point behind eighth place. Furthermore, the entity of the rivals in the last three days invites athletic optimism: Slovan Bratislava, Bayer Leverkusen, at home, and Salzburg, away.
The first and most immediate is the Slovak team. The leader and current champion of their League arrives at the Metropolitano being the only team, along with Leipzig and Young Boys, that has not yet scored points in this Champions League. In addition, they are the team with the most goals scored in the competition with 18 goals conceded, and have only managed to score one goal in the two away games they have played. Therefore, the colchoneros should take the opportunity to seek a resounding victory that will allow them to finish the day among the eight best teams in the competition.
Data that invites optimism in an Atleti that, however, already knows what it is like to lose at home in this Champions League – against Lille (1-3) -. For this reason, Simeone’s men cannot trust themselves, and must continue to maintain the intensity and pace of play that have made them unstoppable in the last month and a half of competition. And much of the blame lies with the team’s ‘new’ right wing.
The couple formed by Giuliano Simeone and Marcos Llorente is working perfectly. The young Argentine seems to be touched by a wand this season. To his excellent performance – one goal and three assists – we must add the fact that Atlético has won the eight games in which he has started.
And if this were not enough, the connection shown with Marcos Llorente since his return from injury makes the right side one of the red and white’s main offensive arguments, with Atleti averaging 5 goals per game together.
This is not the only good news in attack for Simeone. Antoine Griezmann arrives after posting his best performance this season with a double against Sevilla. In addition, the ‘Little Prince’ has scored four consecutive games on goal, something he has not achieved since October 2023, and is already the team’s top scorer with nine goals, in addition to the top assist, with six.
Simeone has managed to get a large part of the squad hooked, which is allowing the Argentine coach to rotate more than in other seasons. Thus, against Slovan, important players such as Le Normand could return to the eleven, who needs to pick up the pace after the injury and could form a pair with Giménez two and a half months later, Koke, Samu Lino -scorer against Sevilla-, or Alexander Sorloth.
For its part, Slovan travels to the Metropolitano to face Atlético for the first time in its history, which will be the sixth Spanish team they face after Barcelona, Real Madrid, Las Palmas, Athletic and Girona, the latter this season. In total, this will be the Slovaks’ fifth visit to Spain, from which they do not have any good memories, since they never achieved victory on Spanish territory – two draws and two defeats.
In sports, Vladimír Weiss’s team travels to Madrid without one of its men in midfield, Marko Tolic, who was sent off in last night’s match against Milan. In addition, left back Matus Vojtko will also not be available due to a muscle injury. The one who will be there will be the Armenian Tigran Barseghyan, the team’s top scorer with 17 goals and the most talented player.
TECHNICAL SHEET.
–POSIBLE ALIGNMENTS:
ATLÉTICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Giménez, Galán; Simeone, Koke, Barrios, Samu Lino; Griezmann and Sorloth.
SLOVAN BRASTISLAVA: Takac; Blackman, Voet, Kashia, Bajric, Medvedev; Savvidis, Kucka; Barseghyan, Strelec y Metsoko.
–ÁRBITRO: Manfred Lukjancuk (LTU).
–STADIUM: Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
–TIME: 18.45/Movistar+ Champions League.