The best Atlético seeks to aggravate Rayo’s problems
MADRID, 18 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid will seek to impose their best version of this season this Saturday and continue their good run of results in a complicated visit to Vallecas (9:00 p.m.), where Rayo Vallecano awaits them, who, on the contrary, continue without taking off in 2022 and that the problems are getting closer and closer.
The current champion lives his best feelings of the campaign and he does it at a key moment for him. About to face the final ten days, this time, his race is not for the title but to ensure his presence in the Champions League. On the contrary, despite its great first stage, Europe is no longer a dream even for the red-haired, still without victories in this 2022 and already dangerously close to relegation.
Diego Pablo Simeone’s men will face this duel with ‘charged batteries’, especially in the mood. Their good and solid victory on Tuesday at Old Trafford against Manchester United (0-1) gave them the ticket for the quarterfinals of the Champions League and confirmed that, at least seeing the results and the improvement in performance, the ‘Cholo ‘ appears to have finally hit the nail on the head despite taking heavy casualties.
At the moment, Atlético has put aside the doubts of a few weeks ago and has achieved the long-awaited regularity that had not yet appeared this season. After raising the alarms completely with the defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano against Levante (0-1), the Madrid team has not lost again in its next six games between all competitions, with five wins and a draw, against United on the way
In the League, the four wins in a row have boosted him to fourth place and strengthen him in a ‘battle’ in which he is even now aspiring to second place and which catches by far a Rayo who has 32 points and who precisely started his free fall by falling 2-0 to the rojiblancos in the first round and at the start of the new year.
To look for the fifth, something that has not happened since the first leg of last season when he hooked six in a row, Simeone will continue without being able to count on the injured Daniel Wass, Sime Vrsaljko, Mattheus Cunha and Thomas Lemar, in addition to Yannick Carrasco, who is suspended , and has the doubt of Stefan Savic, who did not train in the previous one.
All, except the Montenegrin, were absent last Tuesday, so the Argentine coach must decide if he rotates or if he keeps what is working. Thus, Renan Lodi, very inspired as a lane player in the scoring aspect, should return to occupy the position of the Belgian, while the options of refreshing the eleven could go through putting Geoffrey Kondogbia in the middle and returning Ángel Correa to the starting lineup , although now Joao Felix is in a great moment and Antoine Griezmann has improved the team offensively.
IRAOLA RECOVERS ÁLVARO GARCÍA
For its part, Rayo Vallecano hopes to put all the possible complications to their rival in their fiefdom, where of the so-called ‘greats’ only Real Madrid and Athletic have been able to win, in both cases by the minimum.
The Vallecano team managed last Sunday to scratch a point at home against Sevilla (1-1), little reward, but at least it allowed them to stop a bad streak of six consecutive league losses, which coincided with their journey in the Copa del Rey , a requirement from which it seems that he has not yet recovered and that has made him lose that ‘spark’ in his football in the first part of the season where he rubbed shoulders with the upper half.
Iraola will be without defender Esteban Saveljich and Colombian striker Radamel Falcao for this match, while Álvaro García is back after serving a penalty. The winger will surely return to an eleven where Isi and Baby will fight to be on the other offensive side.
DATASHEET.
–POSSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
VALLEY RAY: Dimitrievski; Balliu, Suarez, Catena, Fran Garcia; Comesana, Valentine; Isi, Trejo, Alvaro Garcia; and Guardiola.
ATLETICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Beautiful, Giménez, Reinildo; Llorente, Koke, Herrera, DePaul, Lodi; Correa and Joao Felix.
–REFEREE: Munuera Montero (C.Andaluz).
–STADIUM: Vallecas.
–TIME: 9:00 p.m./Movistar LaLiga.