Atletico Madrid will aim to recover from their disappointment in the Copa del Rey when they face Sevilla in their next La Liga match on Saturday evening.
Diego Simeone’s team lost 1-0 to Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Sevilla go into this match with a confidence-boosting 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.
Match Preview
Youssef En-Nesyri scored two goals in Sevilla’s win against Rayo Vallecano. He returned to the team after representing Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations.
The victory was Sevilla’s first in La Liga since mid-December and only their fourth in the league this season. Sevilla currently sits at 15th place in the league table, with 20 points from 23 matches.
They are three points ahead of the relegation zone and need to work hard to avoid being relegated to the Segunda Division.
Quique Sanchez Flores’s side faces a tough run of matches in the coming weeks. They will play against Atletico, Valencia, Real Madrid, and Real Sociedad in their next four games. However, their victory over Rayo has boosted their confidence.
Atletico suffered a setback in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, but they have been in impressive form in La Liga. They have picked up ten points from their last four matches, including a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid.
Atletico is currently fourth in the La Liga table, with 48 points from 23 league matches this season. They are ten points behind the leaders, Real Madrid, and only three ahead of fifth-placed Athletic in the battle for Champions League football for next season.
Atletico has two more league games before their Champions League clash with Inter Milan on February 20. They also have a La Liga fixture with Almeria before the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.
Sevilla La Liga form: L L L L D W
Sevilla form (all competitions): L W L L D W
Atletico Madrid La Liga form: W L W W W D
Atletico Madrid form (all competitions): W W W W D L
Team News
Sevilla will be without Lucien Agoume, Tanguy Nianzou, Kike Salas, Nemanja Gudelj, and Dodi Lukebakio. Erik Lamela and Mariano Diaz are doubtful due to muscular problems. But Sergio Ramos and Suso return to the team after one-game suspensions.
Isaac Romero will play alongside En-Nesyri in the final third. Ramos and Suso will also feature in the XI. The injured Agoume and Marcao will drop out of the team.
Atletico will miss Jose Gimenez, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Thomas Lemar. Alvaro Morata is doubtful with a muscular issue. Saul Niguez is suspended due to a milestone yellow card.
If Morata is fit, he will partner Antoine Griezmann up front. Llorente will also feature in the XI for the league match.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Nyland;
Navas, Bade, Ramos, Acuna;
Suso, Sow, Soumare, Ocampos;
En-Nesyri, Romero
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak;
Savic, Witsel, Hermoso;
Molina, De Paul, Koke, Llorente, Lino;
Griezmann, Morata
Prediction: Sevilla 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Sevilla is expected to be fresher than Atletico and full of confidence following their win against Rayo. However, Atletico needs the points to stay in the top four.
