18th-placed Celta Vigo will be in search of their second league win when they host Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
Celta Vigo have had a tough time in the new season so far, and they will look to bring an end to it when they host Atletico Madrid. But, it won’t be easy for the home team to get one better over Diego Simeone’s men, who have won their last four league games and will look to make it five in a row.
The home team are currently 18th on the points table with just six points out of their nine outings. They have lost five of their outings and have only won one match so far. In their last five outings, they have lost thrice and have drawn the remaining two games.
They are heading into this fixture on the back of a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Getafe. While they did manage to get a point out of that fixture, they were nowhere close to their best. As a result, they will most likely have a tough day at the office against the Colchoneros.
Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, are the only team who have managed to stop league leaders Real Madrid this season. Diego Simeone’s team are currently fourth on the points table with 19 points out of their eight outings. They are five points behind league leaders Real Madrid but do have a game in hand.
Meanwhile, the visitors are heading into this encounter on the back of a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad. It was not a dominating display, but they did manage to do just enough to ensure they ended up on the right side of the result. They have been on a five-match winning streak in all competitions and will look to make it six in a row. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Celta Vigo
Rafael Benitez will be without the services of Mihailo Ristic and Franco Cervi for this fixture. Apart from the duo, everyone else is expected to be available for this fixture.
👥 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐎̀𝐑𝐈𝐀 #CeltaAtleti pic.twitter.com/WHykayjwLA
— RC Celta (@RCCelta) October 20, 2023
The home team are expected to go ahead with the 4-4-2 formation, where Ivan Villar will be in goal. Oscar Mingueza and Manu Sanchez will start out wide as the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Carl Starfelt will pair up with Unai Nunez. The back four will have a tough task of stopping a high-flying Atletico Madrid attack.
Carles Perez will start out wide on the right while Jonathan Bamba will take charge on the left in the centre of the park. Fran Beltran and Luca de la Torre will be the two central midfielders. They will look to ensure they do not allow the visitors to dominate the midfield. Iago Aspas might not have found the back of the net so far this season. But he will still feature up top alongside Jørgen Strand Larsen.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Villar; Mingueza, Starfelt, Nunez, M Sanchez; Perez, Beltran, De la Torre, Bamba; Aspas, Larsen
Atletico Madrid
The visitors will be without the services of Vitolo, Jose Gimenez, Memphis Depay, Thomas Lemar and Reinildo. Meanwhile, the availability of Angel Correa, Caglar Soyuncu and Pablo Barrios is still doubtful.
🔋💯 x 💯🔋 de batería para afrontar el regreso liguero. pic.twitter.com/sdz18UAmdw
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) October 20, 2023
Despite numerous injuries, Diego Simeone still has quality players to choose from. But he is unlikely to make major changes to the starting XI that took the field against Real Sociedad in their last outing.
Los Rojiblancos will start in the 3-5-2 formation, where Jan Oblak will be in goal. The back three will be made up of Cesar Azpilicueta, Stefan Savic and Mario Hermoso. They will have the support of Nahuel Molina and Samuel Lino who will start out wide as the wing-backs.
The three central midfielders will be Marcos Llorente, Koke and Argentine World Cup winner Rodrigo De Paul. The trio will look to control the majority of the ball and dictate the pace of this game. Meanwhile, in attack, Alvaro Morata who is in red-hot form will start alongside Antoine Griezmann.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Oblak; Azpilicueta, Savic, Hermoso; Molina, Llorente, Koke, De Paul, Lino; Griezmann, Morata
Key Stats
- Atletico Madrid have won 20 out of their last 37 matches against Celta Vigo. The home team have only won nine times.
- Celta Vigo have been winless in their last nine games against the visitors.
- Diego Simeone’s team are unbeaten in each of their last four away games against Celta Vigo and they could make it four wins in a row this time around.
- The home team last won against Atletico Madrid back in September 2018.
- Celta Vigo have accumulated just six points in their first nine games this season. This is the worst start to a new season since the turn of the century.
Player to Watch
Alvaro Morata
Morata has had a sensational start to the new season. He has featured in nine matches in all competitions and has found the back of the net on seven occasions. As far as the league is concerned, he has featured in seven games and has five goals to his name.
The former Real Madrid striker averages a goal every 98th minute. Given the kind of form he is in, the 30-year-old Spanish striker is in, he could end up being the difference between the two sides.
Prediction
Celta Vigo 0-2 Atletico Madrid
Celta Vigo have struggled so far in the new season. They have not been able to bring their A-game to the table. And, their recent form suggests that causing an upset against Atletico Madrid is unlikely.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid have been in sensational form. They have been doing everything right of late and are expected to come out on top with ease. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 2-0 win for the visitors.
