Atlético seeks to strengthen its regularity and improvement
The rojiblanco team is looking for its fourth victory in a row in the League against the needy Cádiz before visiting Old Trafford
MADRID, 10 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid will try to put their duel against Manchester United next week out of their minds and consolidate their regularity and their improvement this Friday at the Wanda Metropolitano (9:00 p.m.) to defend their Champions League position against a Cádiz side to the capital with a different need, in the match that opens the twenty-eighth day of LaLiga Santander 2021-2022.
As it happened in 2020 after the break due to the pandemic, it seems that the rojiblanco team is going to wake up in what its coach Diego Pablo Simeone has considered the decisive stretch of the season and which he wants to arrive in well positioned to fight for his main objective that is to secure the Champions for next season.
The current champion has achieved something that until now had been elusive in this campaign, such as stringing together a good series of victories. The great victory at Benito Villamarín against a direct rival like Betis allowed him to snatch fourth place from the Verdiblancos and gave him his third consecutive victory in the League after those achieved against Osasuna and Celta, a situation that he had not experienced since the end of the season pass.
Supported by this regularity and the consequent mental reinforcement, Atlético will want to take advantage of its local status and the visit of a tenant from the lower area with many urgencies to add its fourth success in a row that would serve to ensure that it continues in the ‘Champions zone ‘ and even to stalk the second place held by Sevilla, which is seven points ahead, which would also be a plus to try to eliminate Manchester United at Old Trafford next Tuesday.
In this sense, the large number of casualties that Simeone handles will practically prevent him from making excessive rotations. The last to fall were Ángel Correa, Thomas Lemar and Sime Vrsaljko, who join Daniel Wass, Mario Hermoso, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Mattheus Cunha, while the good news is the return of Koke Resurrection and Stefan Savic.
And the return of the captain can cause the ‘Cholo’ to bet against the Cadiz team for a trivote between the youth squad, the Mexican Héctor Herrera and the Argentine Rodrigo de Paul, with great force on the sides with Marcos Llorente and Yannick Carrasco as lanes.
Above, hopes are now pinned on the good moment that Portuguese striker Joao Felix is experiencing, who will surely have Frenchman Antoine Griezmann as his partner in attack, while behind, Savic will regain his place in defense along with José María Giménez and Reinildo Mandava.
CÁDIZ, FOUR MATCHES WITHOUT LOSING AND ONLY ONE GOAL CONCEIVED
Atlético will come up against a Cádiz team that has recovered above all defensive solidity with the arrival of Sergio González on the bench and that needs the points to provisionally sleep at least out of relegation.
The Andalusian team is one point behind Granada, which marks salvation at the moment, and will land at the Metropolitano encouraged by getting their first home win of the season against Rayo Vallecano. The 2-0 against Andoni Iraola’s team extended the days without losing to four, three of them with a tie, and only one goal conceded.
The Catalan coach will have the loss of the suspended Iván Alejo and could bet on a defense of three central defenders, while Idrissi or Lucas Pérez fight for a place in the eleven that will try to end the bad streak as a visitor against Atlético de Cádiz that in 13 visits he has lost in twelve and has tied in the rest.
DATASHEET.
–POSSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
ATLETICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Savic, Gimenez, Reinildo; Llorente, Koke, Herrera, DePaul, Carrasco; Joao Felix and Antoine Griezmann.
CADIZ: Ledesma; Luis Hernandez, Fali, Chust; Akapo, Alcaraz, San Emeterio, Espino; Lozano, Negredo and Idrissi.
–REFEREE: González Fuertes (C.Asturiano).
–STADIUM: Metropolitan Wanda.
–TIME: 9:00 p.m./Movistar LaLiga.