Friendly match, as some of its characteristics appear except that it will not be a 90-minute format, or “training with rival”, as the Atlético de Madrid, the stadium Metropolitan Wanda will receive this Saturday an undoubted test, unique and private, of the rojiblanco team against him Almeria for the start of The league within only a week. While he already sees the Pomegranate, on September 26 or 27 on the same stage this Saturday, on September 26 or 27 on the same stage this Saturday, the team of Diego Simeone, absent in training since last Saturday for Covid-19, isolated and in quarantine (he will not direct the game this Saturday either), he faces his only meeting as such, with circumstances perhaps different from a normal friendly, to fine-tune the set-up of his squad.
There was another planned, last Tuesday, but the positive of a first team assistant suspended the team's concentration in Los Angeles de San Rafael, in the Segovian mountains, last Friday and recommended as a precaution the postponement of the Carranza Trophy that the rojiblanco team was going to play against him Cadiz.
Therefore, the “training with rival” this Saturday, scheduled at 5:00 p.m. at the Metropolitan Wanda, has been left alone to measure his real shoot after sixteen days of preparation. There will be neither access to the public nor to the press, but there will be an adversary, Almería, who is also in full preparation, since the League has not yet started, as happens to Atlético de Madrid.
With only three movements that affect his squad since last season's competition ended with the fiasco of the 2-1 defeat against him. Leipzig in the Champions League (Antonio Adán has left, has arrived Ivo Grbic and has remained, already traded for four years, Yannick Carrasco), the eleven of the team will be very similar to many of those made last year.
According to the tests drawn by Simeone and carried out in the field by Hernan Bonvicini, in the absence of the technician and his assistant, Nelson alive, in quarantine for now, the theoretical eleven holder is formed by Jan Oblak; Kieran Trippier, Stefan Savic, José María Giménez, Renan Lodi; Koke Resurrección, Thomas Partey, Saúl Ñíguez, Yannick Carrasco; Ángel Correa and Álvaro Morata.
They do not appear in it nor Joao Félix and Felipe Monteiro. Neither Diego Costa, Santiago Arias or Thomas
Lemar, to which the club is looking for an exit in this summer market to be able to tackle other signings. The question is whether the players who aim more outside than inside the team will have minutes of travel against Almería or not.
Opposite, the Andalusian team faces its most serious test of the preseason before its imminent debut in LaLiga SamartBank 2020-21, scheduled for next week at the stadium Anxo Carro de Lugo, third day of the tournament in which the competition begins after having played the promotion phase to the highest category.
Get on First
Division is the goal that the team has set itself in this new season in which the Portuguese Jose Gomes, who came to lead the unionists in the ‘playoff’, will be in charge of training a squad with many new faces, between experience and a commitment to the future.
Up to eleven signings have made the team plus the return of Peybernes, who played on loan in the Lugo. Has signed the goalkeeper Makaridze (Vitoria Setúbal); defenders Aitor Buñuel (Racing) and Chumi (Barça B); midfielders Aketxe (Dépor), Juanma Gutiérrez (Danubio), Samu Costa (on loan from Sporting de Braga) and Morlanes (provided by the Villarreal); and the forwards Olivera (Rentistas), Juan Villar (Osasuna, after loan loss at Rayo), Pedro Mendes (Sporting Lisboa) and Ramazani (Manchester United).
So far, the Almeria have played four friendlies, with two defeats, against the Betis (2-0) and Spanish (1-0); a draw against Balompédica Linense (Second B) (1-1) and a victory against Badajoz (Second B) (2-1).