Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid will be looking for their third consecutive league win when they host ninth-placed Cadiz.
Atletico Madrid have recently gained momentum with back-to-back wins in the league and will now look to collect all three points when they host Cadiz, who have been doing decent in the new season.
The home team were not in the best of forms heading into the Madrid derby, but they managed to put in a great performance and ended up winning 3-1 on the night. They backed it up with another impressive performance against Osasuna as they won 2-0.
Now, they are heading into this fixture against Cadiz high on confidence and are expected to go all out for all three points. The home team are currently fifth on the points table and a win in this outing will surely help their cause.
The visitors are heading into this outing on the back of two consecutive draws in the league. They played out a 1-1 draw against Real Betis last week and followed it up with another draw against Rayo Vallecano. Cadiz will look to return to winning ways when they square up against the Colchoneros. But they are well aware of the fact that it won’t be easy.
The away team are currently ninth on the points table with nine points in their seven outings. They haven’t been that great going forward having found the back of the net just six times in their seven matches. And, they will look to work on that when they face Simeone’s men. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use for this outing.
Team News & Tactics
Atletico Madrid
The home team will be without the services of Pablo Barrios, Thomas Lemar, Caglar Soyuncu, Reinildo and Angel Correa. Diego Simeone will also be without Alvaro Morata, who picked up a red card in their last outing.
Smiling because he's back 😄 pic.twitter.com/QmgdZpmohI
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) September 29, 2023
Memphis Depay did not take part in their last outing but is expected to be fit in time for this match. Meanwhile, Rodrigo De Paul is back in training and could take part in this fixture.
Simeone is expected to stick with the 3-5-2 formation where John Oblak will be in goal. The back three will be made up of Axel Witsel, Jose Maria Gimenez and Mario Hermoso. Meanwhile, Nahuel Molina and Samuel Lino will start as the wing-backs.
The back three will look to keep another clean sheet whereas the wing-backs will look to join the attack and stretch the opposition’s defence. Koke will start in the central midfield along with Marcos Llorente and Saul Niguez. The trio will look to control the majority of the ball possession and dictate the pace of this game. Meanwhile, in attack, Depay will pair up with French superstar Antoine Griezmann.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Oblak; Witsel, Gimenez, Hermoso; Molina, Llorente, Koke, Saul, Lino; Griezmann, Memphis
Cadiz
The visitors will be without the services of Fede San Emeterio, Juan Cala, Brian Ocampo, and Victor Chust. Sergio is expected to not make any major changes to the XI that took the field in their last outing. He will stick to the 4-4-2 formation, where Jeremias Ledesma will take charge in goal.
— Cádiz Club de Fútbol (@Cadiz_CF) September 29, 2023
Isaac Carcelen and Javi Hernandez will start out wide as the full-backs. Meanwhile, Luis Hernandez and Rafael Jimenez Jarque (Fali) will feature in the heart of the defence. The backline will have the tough task of stopping a star-studded Atletico Madrid attack that has been on fire of late.
Ivan Alejo and Darwin Machis will give width to their attacks as well as look to help out their defence as they will feature out wide in the centre of the park. The two central midfielders will be Gonzalo Escalante and Ruben Alcaraz. They will most likely have a lot of defensive duties but the two will surely look to initiate counter-attacks. Meanwhile, in attack, Chris Ramos will have the support of Roger Martí.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Ledesma; Carcelen, Luis Hernandez, Fali, Javi Hernandez; Alejo, Emeterio, Alcaraz, Machis; Ramos, Roger
Key Stats
- Atletico Madrid have won seven out of the eight head-to-head matches against Cadiz.
- The home team’s ace striker Alvaro Morata who has scored five goals in La Liga this season won’t be available for this fixture.
- The visitors are the joint second-lowest-scoring team in the league with six goals so far in their seven outings.
- French superstar Antoine Griezmann has three goals in his six league starts for the home team this season.
- The home team are the third-highest-scoring team in the league with 15 goals in six games.
Player to Watch
Antoine Griezmann
Griezmann was on fire last season for Diego Simeone’s team and he has carried his form into the 2023/24 season. The 32-year-old already has three goals to his name in his six league outings. But, his importance is beyond his goals, the French international is the main creative link of the team.
If he does not get himself on the scoresheet, he still manages to contribute with his exceptional passing abilities. He drops down and links up with his midfielders to open up the opposition defence. As a result, the 32-year-old could end up being the difference between the two teams.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Cadiz
The recent form of Atletico Madrid suggests that they might be too big a challenge for Cadiz that too away from home. While the visitors are unbeaten in their last two outings, they don’t have as much quality as the home team.
Deigo Simeone has quite a few superstars in his ranks and he is expected to go ahead and claim all three points from this fixture. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for Atletico Madrid.
