Atletico Madrid and Girona will square up against each other on Sunday night to secure their first league win of the season.
Both Atletico Madrid and Girona started the new season with a draw each, and they will be eager to register their first win of the season when they square up against each other at the Civitas Metropolitano on Sunday evening.
While both teams were title contenders last season and are expected to be up there, the visitors might find it difficult this time out as they have lost a lot of quality players, and there is no longer an element of surprise about them.
Diego Simeone’s team squared up against Villarreal in their opening league game of the season. It was an equally contested fixture where both teams had a decent amount of the ball, they created quite a few chances and in the end, both teams had to settle for a 2-2 draw.
While Atletico Madrid did fight hard, they were nowhere close to their best, and Diego Simeone will look to ensure they claim all three points against Girona in their second league outing.
The visitors finished inside the top four last season. They were the surprise title challengers and they are expected to do something similar this time around. But, it won’t be easy as quite a few of their stars have left the club and more importantly, every team is well aware of what to expect from Girona.
While Girona dominated the ball in their opening fixture against Real Betis, they did not create enough chances and ended up playing out a 1-1 draw. They will have to put up a much better performance if they want to win against Simeone’s team. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Atletico Madrid
The home team will be without the services of Marcos Paulo. But, apart from him, everyone else is fully fit for this fixture against Girona.
While Diego Simeone will stick to the 3-4-3 formation, expect a few changes to the XI with Rodrigo De Paul and Jose Maria Gimenez coming into the XI. Julian Alvarez should be making his full debut in this fixture after making an appearance as a sub last time out.
Jan Oblak will be in goal with Robin Le Normand, Jose Maria Gimenez and Cesar Azpilicueta forming the back three in front of him. Marcos Llorente and Samuel Lino will be the wing-backs for Atletioc.
Koke and Saul Niguez will feature in the centre of the park. They will look to control the tempo of the game. In attack, Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez will feature on the flanks, while Alexander Sorloth will lead the attack.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Oblak; Azpilicueta, Gimenez, Le Normand; Llorente, De Paul, Koke, Lino; Griezmann, Sorloth, Alvarez
Girona
Yaser Asprilla who joined the club on Friday could be in the squad for this fixture. Meanwhile, they will be without Jastin Garcia and Ricard Arteto who are unavailable for this fixture. Valery Fernandez and Viktor Tsyhankov’s availability remains a major doubt.
The visitors will go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation, where Paulo Gazzaniga will be in goal. Arnau Martinez and Miguel Gutierrez will be the full-back for the while David Lopez and Daley Blind will feature in the heart of the defence.
Oriol Romeu, who is back on loan from Barcelona, will be the defensive midfielder, and he will have the support of Yangel Herrera and Ivan Martin who will be a touch advanced role. Bryan Gil and Portu will feature on the flanks. They will provide width to their attacks while Abel Ruiz will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Gazzaniga; Arnau Martinez, David Lopez, Blind, Gutierrez; Herrera, Romeu, Martin; Gil, Ruiz, Portu
Key Stats
- Atletico Madrid have won four out of the last 10 matches between the two teams. Girona could only register one win in that period.
- Diego Simeone’s team have been unbeaten in their last four home league games against Girona.
- Girona have played out three draws in their last eight outings against the team from Madrid.
- Atletico Madrid have scored two goals in each of their last three home games against the visitors.
- Girona’s last win over Atletico came at the start of the year as they defeated Simeone’s team 4-3.
Player to Watch
Julián Alvarez
Atletico Madrid have spent a fortune to bring Julián Alvarez to the club from Manchester City. Diego Simeone sees him as the next big star of his team and is expected to hand him his first start against Girona on Sunday. Despite being a backup option at City, he still had 19 goals and 13 assists last season. Simeone is expecting him to take La Liga by storm and the fixture against Girona could be the start.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Girona
Girona were one of the title contenders last season and there will be a lot of expectations from them this time around as well. But, they have lost quite a few of their star players and are unlikely to reach the expected levels. While both clubs are heading into this one on the back of a draw, Atletico will still have the upper hand on their home turf. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the Madrid-based club.