Cádiz, drowning or balsam for Atlético
Simeone’s men want to forget their European hit against a rival who has not yet won at home
MADRID, 27 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid seeks to forget this Sunday at the Nuevo Mirandilla (6.30pm / Movistar LaLiga) another bad European night and defend its position in the Champions League on the fifteenth day of LaLiga Santander, all on the return of Portuguese Joao Félix and against a Cádiz who needs to win so as not to be doomed to the relegation places.
With Liverpool’s victory over Porto, Diego Pablo Simeone’s men had enough to draw a draw against AC Milan on Wednesday to get the move to the second round on track and depend on themselves on the final matchday. However, a goal in the 87th minute from Brazilian Junior Messias blew everything up in the Wanda Metropolitano (0-1).
Now, the mattress team, which has three consecutive defeats in the ‘Champions’, is forced to win at the Estádio do Dragao by one more goal than the Italians do at San Siro, where they receive a key clash against the English team, that his first group place was guaranteed. But first, those of the ‘Cholo’ must return to focus on the domestic championship.
Although he has not fallen since the end of September against Deportivo Alavés, the defending champion has not found the necessary consistency to threaten the leadership of Real Madrid (30), four points above the 26 that keep him in fourth position.
He won vital duels against Barça and Real Betis, or the last one against Osasuna (1-0), but he left points at home against Real Sociedad (2-2) or in his visits to the Ciutat de València (2-2) or Mestalla (3-3), where Valencia was able to tie with two goals in discount. Therefore, after only one victory in his last five trips, he needs to react now on the road.
“The first round of last season was extraordinary and this one is surely more irregular, but we cannot be constantly comparing. Today in LaLiga we are in an exciting situation, to my liking, and the preparation of the games to come will dictate where we will be”, Simeone said at a press conference, forced to relaunch a team that has lost its traditional defensive strength.
In that company, the ‘Cholo’ will not be able to count on the injured Kieran Trippier and Ivan Saponjic, but in return he recovers a Joao Félix who will start from the bench waiting for an opportunity in an attack that Luis Suárez and Antoine Griezmann will foreseeably integrate. Everything in an eleven that a priori will be the same that started against the ‘rossoneri’.
IN SEARCH OF THE FIRST TRIUMPH IN THE NEW MIRANDILLA
Opposite, Cádiz (12) urgently needs to win if they do not want to fall into the burning zone, from which they are only separated by one point. After three days in a row adding, Álvaro Cervera’s men fell dramatically last weekend against Getafe at the Coliseum (4-0), a result that made them the second-highest-scoring team in the category (23).
This Sunday, the cadista team returns home, where it has not yet managed to win this course – reaping four draws and three defeats-; his last triumph there dates from May, in a league duel against Huesca (2-1) still played under the old name of Ramón de Carranza.
Without the injured Jon Ander Garrido, José Mari and Tomás Alarcón, the yellow team will finally be able to count on ‘Pacha’ Espino, who has overcome his physical discomfort, and with the Danish Jens Jonsson, who missed the duel against the azulones.
DATASHEET.
–POSSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
CÁDIZ: Ledesma; Iza Carcelén, Haroyan, Cala, Espino; Jonsson, Fali, Álex Fernández; Nephew, ‘Choco’ Lozano y Perea.
ATLÉTICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Llorente, Savic, Giménez, Hermoso, Carrasco; De Paul, Koke, Lemar; Griezmann and Luis Suárez.
– REFEREE: Gil Manzano (C. Extremeño).
–STADIUM: New Mirandilla.
–TIME: 18.30 / Movistar LaLiga.