Barcelona's stumble against Granada gives Atlético air and opens a new perspective in the championship for these five days that remain. The leader fell last Sunday in Bilbao, where he was beaten in the first half. Then he reacted, deserved to draw and ended up losing. Criticism raged against Simeone and a squad that seems either does not know or does not understand what is at stake: a league title, which will remind you in many years, go down in the history of a 118-year-old entity. Atlético was a funeral on Monday and no fan wanted anything. On Thursday night they got their smile back. We will see if it lasts for the next few days or if the rojiblancos supporters cry again on Saturday afternoon before a new disappointment from the Cholo troop. If Atlético go out as usual, they will have a bad time, since Elche is playing relegation. The Escribá team cares little that the leader visits him. You need to win. Or at least score. It is not worth anything else. Duel for everything, for the title and to avoid relegation. The party in capital letters. It's the big door or the infirmary, in bullfighting slang (follow the match live on As.com).
From Bilbao you don't hear anything else in Atlético's dressing room. Elche. Elche. Elche. They all repeat it. From Cerezo to the last employee. The Camp Nou clash is a long way off and it is of little use to think about that match if Atlético falls on Elche's soil. This time there are no excuses. Simeone has the whole team, Lemar, João Félix and Luis Suárez already with several training sessions. Only Lodi will be missing, due to injury. You can choose and the Cholo has alternatives to hurt his rival. His fans only ask that Atlético go for the game, that they not throw away a minute of it. Hermoso, Lemar and Luis Suárez could enter the eleven. Lodi, Herrera and Saúl would be the sacrifices. Atlético has not won for two months away from Wanda Metropolitano (a reliable fiefdom, with or without fans) and thus it is very difficult to aspire to anything. I said, it is only worth winning. There is no other discourse: neither tiredness, nor mental strength nor low form of players … Whoever is there to play and to win, let them go. The one who does not, to the bench. Some of the subsidiary would give up their lives to defend their team in such a game.
Elche loses one of its fixed lines, Mojica, due to injury, but Escribá cannot stop crying either. Josema Sánchez is ready to play. His team is down and only a win would give him hope. Elche have only won four league games at home (Valencia, Eibar, Sevilla and Levante). He has lost four more. And eight have tied them, which means that the Elche group gives war. Piatti and Lucas Boyé are the local hopes for Oblak's goal. In the first leg, Elche stood up, but Atlético's hit was decisive. No alternative. It only matters to win.