Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid will look to return to winning ways in the league when they square up against Villarreal at home.
Fourth-placed Atletico Madrid are all set to host Villarreal in La Liga on Sunday. After suffering a defeat at the hands of Las Palmas, the Madrid-based club scripted a dominating 6-0 win over Celtic in the Champions League. And, they will be looking to continue in a similar fashion against the visitors who only lost one out of their last five games in all competitions.
The home team are currently fourth in the league with 25 points out of their 11 games. They have won eight of those fixtures and have only suffered two defeats so far. Atletico are six points behind the league leaders Girona but do have a game in hand. They are heading into this fixture on the back of a 6-0 win in Europe. Simeone’s team will be quite confident of getting the right result despite having failed to do so in their last league outing.
Meanwhile, the visitors are currently 13th in the league with just 12 points out of their 12 matches. They have lost half of their league games and have only won thrice so far. It has not been the kind of start they were looking for.
Even Villarreal suffered a defeat in their last league outing. They lost 3-2 against Athletic Club but did manage to bounce back with a 2-1 win in their Europa League against Maccabi Haifa. Despite conceding early in the first half, they dominated the proceeding and won the game with two late goals.
Both teams suffered a defeat in their last league outing, and they will be eager for a win. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Atletico Madrid
🎙️ Simeone
❝It will be a complex match against Villarreal❞ pic.twitter.com/SLhoORUAPf
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) November 11, 2023
The home team will be without the services of Memphis Depay, Thomas Lemar, Vitolo and Reinildo. The good news is that there are no fresh injury concerns for them and on top of that, Rodrigo De Paul is available for selection after missing out from the Champions League fixture last time out because of suspension.
Deigo Simeone will stick to the 3-5-2 formation, where Jan Oblak will be in goal. The back three will be made up of Stefan Savic, Mario Hermoso and Jose María Gimenez. They will look for another clean sheet.
The back three will have the support of wing-backs Nahuel Molina and Samuel Lino. While the duo will look to push further up the pitch at every possible opportunity, they will also look to ensure that the opposition do not have too much open space to run in behind in wide areas.
Rodrigo De Paul and Koke will be the two central midfielders. While Antoine Griezmann could once again start in the centre of the park, he will have a free-flowing role. Up top, we could once against see Angel Correa pair up with Alvaro Morata.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Oblak; Savic, Gimenez, Hermoso; Molina, De Paul, Koke, Griezmann, Lino; Correa, Morata
Villarreal
The visitors will be without the services of Juan Foyth, Gerard Moreno, Alfonso Pedraza, Denis Suarez and Francis Coquelin. They are expected to make a number of changes to the XI that started in the Europa League.
Meanwhile, Villarreal recently parted ways with their manager Juan Jose Rojo Martín, better known as Pacheta. While they are without a manager, sports director Miguel Angel Tena will take charge, and Villarreal will go ahead with the 4-4-2 formation, where Filip Jorgensen will be in goal.
Official statement: José Rojo Martín 'Pacheta' pic.twitter.com/ufqOXHAdvn
— Villarreal CF English (@VillarrealCFen) November 10, 2023
Raul Albiol will take charge in the heart of the defence alongside Matteo Gabbia. The duo will have the support of Adria Altimira and Alberto Moreno. The two full-backs might have a lot of defensive duties against Atletico Madrid. But they will also look to join the attack at every possible opportunity. In the centre of the park, Ilias Akhomach and Alex Baena will start out wide. They will provide width to their attacks.
Etienne Capoue and Dani Parejo will feature in a more central role. The duo will look to ensure they do not allow Diego Simeone’s men to dominate the proceedings. In attack, Alexander Sorloth will have the support of Yeremy Pino.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Jorgensen; Alti, Albiol, Gabbia, A Moreno; Akhomach, Capoue, Parejo, Baena; Sorloth, Pino
Key Stats
- Villarreal have not suffered defeat in their last five away games.
- Atletico Madrid have the second-best attack in the league with 26 goals to their name.
- In their last league meeting at the Wanda Metropolitano, the visitors managed to come out on top.
- The home team have the second-best defense in the league having conceded just 11 goals so far.
- Villarreal have only won one out of their last five league games.
Player to Watch
Antoine Griezmann
Atletico Madrid have the second-best attack in the league, and it is because of both their strikers who have been in sensational form in the new season. Both Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata have scored seven goals in the league so far.
But, the French international will be the one to watch out for in this fixture. He would be used in a deeper role once again and given the kind of impact he has been having of late, the 32-year-old French international could end up being the difference between the two teams.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Villarreal
Given the kind of form Atletico Madrid have been in the ongoing season, it will not be easy for any team to stop them in their tracks. They have been playing exceptional football and are expected to give it their all in this home fixture against Villarreal.
The hosts might have lost in their last league game but despite that, they are favorites for this fixture. Meanwhile, Villarreal have not been in the best of form late, and they might end up struggling against Diego Simeone’s team. While they will surely try to pull off an upset, in the end, Atletico Madrid might come out on top. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the home team.
