Atletico Madrid will look to return to winning ways when they host bottom-placed Almeria, who are yet to win a game this season.
Almeria have already suffered 11 defeats this season and will find it difficult when they hit the road to square up against fourth-placed Atletico Madrid, who will look to bounce back after suffering a defeat at the hands of Barcelona last weekend.
Diego Simeone’s team have accumulated 31 points in their 14 outings with ten wins and a draw. They have suffered three defeats so far. The Colchoneros have lost two out of their last five and cannot afford to drop any more points, with Girona, Real Madrid and Barcelona all pushing for the title.
Last weekend, they had an opportunity to claim all three points against one of the title contenders, Barcelona. But they failed to bring their A-Game to the table. The Catalan giants were better on the day and ended up grabbing all three points. Los Rojiblancos will now look to go all out to secure the three points in this fixture.
Meanwhile, Almeria have had a nightmare start to the season. While more than half of the matches are still left, the visitors look all set for the relegation battle. They lack intent and are yet to win once in their 15 outings. They have only managed to accumulate four points thus far.
The away side are seven points away from safety and need to start winning if they do not want that gap to grow further in the coming weeks. Beating Simeone’s team won’t be easy by any means, and Almeria will have to bring their best game to the table if they want to get anything out of this fixture. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone will be without the services of Pablo Barrios, Thomas Lemar and Vitolo. Apart from the trio, everyone else is available for this fixture.
🔜 Atleti-Almería is nearly here! pic.twitter.com/wa7XE2NtX8
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) December 8, 2023
Simeone will stick to the 3-5-2 formation despite having suffered that defeat last time out. But he will make a few changes to the XI that started the last game. Jan Oblak will continue in goal. Cesar Azpilicueta will return to the XI, and he will feature alongside Axel Witsel and Mario Hermoso in the heart of the defence.
Samuel Lino will take charge as the left wing-back, while Nahuel Molina will continue as the right-sided wing-back. The duo will look to join the attack at every possible opportunity.
Marcos Llorente, Koke and Rodrigo De Paul will take charge in the centre of the park. The trio will look to ensure Atletico have the majority of the ball and they dictate the pace of this game. Given the kind of form Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann are in, Simeone is unlikely to make any changes up top.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Oblak; Azpilicueta, Witsel, Hermoso; Molina, Llorente, Koke, De Paul, Lino; Griezmann, Morata
Almeria
The visitors will be without the services of five first-team players as Marko Milovanovic, Ibrahima Kone, Luis Suarez, Marc Pubill, and Martin Svidersky are all out injured.
⚽✈️🔜 #AtletiAlmería pic.twitter.com/Y1kJk6tZJG
— UD Almería (@UDAlmeria_Eng) December 8, 2023
Almeria are expected to start with the same XI that managed to earn a point against Real Betis. They will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Luís Maximiano will be in goal.
Alejandro Pozo and Sergio Akieme will start out wide as the full-backs. While the duo would love to join the attack, they are expected to have a long day in defence and will look to help out their central defender. Edgar Gonzalez and Cesar Montes will start in the heart of the defence with the objective of keeping a clean sheet against one of the best attacks in the division.
In the centre of the park, Lucas Robertone will pair up with Gonzalo Melero. The duo will look to support their back four and ensure Atletico Madrid do not end up dominating the game. Leo Baptistao and Adri Embarba will provide width to their attack, while Sergio Arribas will be the attacking midfielder. Largie Ramazani will take charge up top.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maximiano; Pozo, Montes, Gonzalez, Akieme; Robertone, Melero; Baptistao, Arribas, Embarba; Ramazani
Key Stats
- Atletico Madrid have won eight out of the last 16 matches between the two teams while the visitors have won twice.
- The home team have won four out of their last six games against Almeria in the league after enduring a run where they had only won two out of eight.
- Almeria have played 15 matches so far in the league but are yet to win a match.
- Almeria have been winless in their last seven away games against Atletico Madrid.
- Diego Simeone’s team have scored in each of their last seven games against the visitors at home.
Player to Watch
Alvaro Morata
Morata was not at his best against Barcelona,, and he will be eager to get back on the scoresheet when they square up against the bottom-placed team on their home turf.
The Spanish striker has had a sensational start to the new season, amassing 12 goals and three assists in his 18 outings. He has failed to find the back of the net in each of his last three league outings and will look to bounce back against Almeria.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 4-0 Almeria
The home team are heading into this encounter on the back of a 1-0 defeat. But they will still be confident about getting the right result against the visitors. Apart from the Barcelona game, Atletico Madrid have been quite consistent with their performances, and they do have the upper hand here.
Almeria have failed to win a game, and they might not be in the best of spaces despite having earned a point against Real Betis in their last league outing. They will give it their all but are unlikely to get something out of this game. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-0 win for the home team.
