Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid will look to return to winning ways when they host 17th-placed Leganes on Sunday.
Leganes have failed to win any of their last seven league games and in search of their second win of the 2024/25 season, they now travel to the Estadio Metropolitano to face Atletico Madrid on Sunday afternoon.
The home team are currently third in the league with 17 points in their nine outings. They might be unbeaten so far but have played out five draws, which has not helped their cause.
Diego Simeone’s team have failed to win their last two league outings. Los Rojiblancos are heading into this fixture on the back of a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad. Atletico Madrid were far from their best, and they will have to put up a much better performance to get things back on track.
Leganes are 17th, they have only managed to accumulate eight points in their first nine matches with one win and five draws. While things have not been that great, they have been unbeaten in their last three league fixtures.
They played out a friendly fixture against Real Valladolid and ended up securing a 3-1 win which will surely boost their confidence. However, they are not going to find it easy to take down Simeone’s team. The Hard Tackle takes a close 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 Llorente, Cesar Azpilicueta and Robin Le Normand. Apart from the trio, Diego Simeone will have everyone available for selection. He is expected to make just a few changes to the XI that started in their last outing prior to the international break.
Atletico Madrid will go ahead with the 3-5-2 formation against Leganes, with Jan Oblak in goal. In the heart of the defence, Clement Lenglet should start alongside Axel Witsel and Jose Maria Gimenez. They will look to maintain their impressive defensive record and will receive support from the likes of Nahuel Molina and Samuel Lino, who should feature as the wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Rodrigo De Paul should start alongside Koke and summer signing Conor Gallagher. They will look to control the tempo and ensure they have the majority of the ball. Julian Alvarez should continue to partner Antoine Griezmann up top in attack.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Oblak; Witsel, Gimenez, Lenglet; Molina, De Paul, Koke, Gallagher, Lino; Griezmann, Alvarez
Leganes
The visitors do not really have much to worry about as Naim Garcia is the only one who is a doubt due to a muscular issue. Renato Tapia and Matija Nastasic are both expected to be back in the mix for this fixture.
Borja Jimenez is expected to stick to the majority of the players who started in the game against Valencia. Against Atletico Madrid, Leganes will go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation where Marko Dmitrović will be in goal.
Valentin Rosier and Javi Hernandez should start on the flanks as the full-backs, with Jorge Saenz and Sergio Gonzalez taking charge in the heart of the defence. In the centre of the park, Yvan Neyou and Seydouba Cisse will form the double pivot. They will look to shield the backline and ensure they provide a solid base to attack from.
Juan Cruz and Adria Altimira will most likely feature on the flanks. They will provide width to their attacks, while Roberto Lopez will be the number ten. Miguel de la Fuente could start as the striker ahead of Sebastien Haller for this fixture.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Dmitrovic; Rosier, Saenz, Gonzalez, Hernandez; Neyou, Cisse; Cruz, Lopez, Alti; De la Fuente
Key Stats
- The two teams have only faced each other 12 times with Atletico winning seven of those fixtures and Leganes coming out on top just one.
- Atletico Madrid have been unbeaten against Leganes in their last eight meeting. They have kept a clean sheet in seven of those meetings.
- Diego Simeone’s team have only lost one of their last 15 league outings.
- Leganes have not won a league game away from him this season, but they have secured four draws.
- Atletico Madrid have the best defence in the league having conceded just five goals in nine outings.
Player to Watch
Antoine Griezmann
The 33-year-old French forward is still the go-to man for Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid despite his advancing years. He has started the new season in fine fashion, with three goals and five assists in his 11 outings. Griezmann will be eager to add to his tally when he takes the field against Leganes. The home team will hope their superstar helps them return to winning ways.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Leganes
Atletico Madrid might not have been in the best of forms of late. But the Colchoneros do have a better head-to-head record, and they surely have a lot more quality in their squad to help them get the better of Leganes. The visitors will try their best to make a match out of it, but they are unlikely to succeed. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the home team.