Atletico Madrid will be looking to extend their winning streak in La Liga to six matches as they host Alaves at Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday night.
With 22 points from nine league games, Diego Simeone’s side currently sits in fourth place in the table.
Meanwhile, Alaves finds themselves in 15th position with nine points from their first 10 matches of the 2023-24 season.
Preview:
Due to bad weather in the Madrid area, Atletico Madrid had to postpone their fixture against Sevilla, putting them a game behind most other teams in the division.
However, their impressive record of seven wins, one draw, and one defeat from nine games has earned them 22 points, just three points behind leaders Real Madrid with a match in hand.
If not for the postponed game, Atletico could have been sitting at the top of the table.
With Barcelona and Real Madrid facing each other this weekend, Atletico has an opportunity to close the gap and potentially move closer to the summit.
Atletico Madrid’s recent form has been exceptional, securing victories in their last five La Liga matches, including a convincing 3-0 win against Celta Vigo.
Their only setback was a surprising 3-0 loss to Valencia.
In the Champions League, Atletico faced a tough challenge against Celtic but managed to salvage a 2-2 draw, placing them second in their group with five points.
On the other hand, Alaves is currently enduring a six-game winless streak in La Liga.
Their last victory came at home against Valencia at the beginning of September.
However, they have shown resilience in their recent matches, securing back-to-back 1-1 draws against Real Betis and Villarreal.
With two wins, three draws, and five defeats from their 10 league games, Alaves sits in 16th position, three points above the relegation zone.
They have struggled to find the back of the net, scoring only eight goals so far this season, which is the second-worst record in the league, behind Las Palmas.
Team News:
Atletico Madrid has several players sidelined due to injuries, including Samuel Lino, Jose Gimenez, Memphis Depay, Thomas Lemar, Vitolo, and Reinildo.
Head coach Simeone is expected to make a few changes to the lineup that faced Celtic in the Champions League, with Marcos Llorente and Pablo Barrios likely to be recalled.
Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata are expected to lead the attack.
Alaves will be without Carlos Benavidez, Giuliano Simeone, and Javi Lopez due to injuries.
Head coach Luis Garcia is likely to field the same starting XI that played against Villarreal, with Luis Rioja and Alex Sola operating in the wide positions and Samu leading the attack.
Possible Starting Lineups:
Atletico Madrid:
Oblak;
Savic, Witsel, Hermoso;
Molina, De Paul, Koke, Barrios, Llorente;
Griezmann, Morata
Alaves:
Sivera;
Gorosabel, Abqar, Sedlar, Duarte;
Blanco, Guevara;
Sola, Guridi, Rioja;
Samu
Prediction:
Considering Alaves’ recent struggles and Atletico Madrid’s strong form, it is difficult to foresee a positive result for the visitors.
- We predict a 2-0 victory for Atletico Madrid in Sunday’s clash at Wanda Metropolitano.
