Atletico Madrid will aim to preserve their unbeaten record this season when they host Espanyol in a La Liga match on Wednesday. Espanyol, recently promoted, is still seeking their first points after suffering back-to-back losses at the start of the campaign. Atletico Madrid, bolstered by several key summer signings, has ambitions of making a serious title push this year.
New additions include Robin Le Normand and Conor Gallagher, who have strengthened the defense and midfield respectively. At the same time, Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth have been brought in to enhance the attacking options for Diego Simeone’s side.
Espanyol have struggled without last season’s top scorer, Martin Braithwaite. He left upon the expiration of his contract and joined Gremio on a free transfer, leaving a noticeable gap in the team.
Atletico Madrid vs. Espanyol: Team Form & Head-to-Head
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Atletico Madrid has made a solid start to the season, earning four points from their first two games. They fought back twice to draw 2-2 with Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica and then delivered a strong performance at home against Girona, winning 3-0 with goals from Antoine Griezmann, Marcos Llorente, and Koke.
This match marks Atletico Madrid’s first encounter with Espanyol since their entertaining 3-3 draw in May 2023. Atletico Madrid will be looking to extend their unbeaten streak in their head-to-head record against Espanyol to six games. The absence of Braithwaite has been apparent in Espanyol’s first two games, with the team failing to score in their 1-0 losses. They were narrowly defeated by Real Valladolid and then by Real Sociedad, where Take Kubo scored an 80th-minute winner in their home opener.
Manolo Gonzalez’s squad faces a tough challenge to secure their first points of the season at the Metropolitano. However, they may draw some confidence from their last away game against Atletico, which ended in a 1-1 draw in November 2022.
Team News
Atletico Madrid has no new injury concerns, so coach Diego Simeone should have most of his squad available for Wednesday’s match. Simeone might rotate his lineup, with players like Alex Witsel, Nahuel Molina, Koke, and Sorloth potentially getting starting opportunities. New signing Conor Gallagher is also vying for his first start after coming on as a substitute in the weekend match. Recent addition Clement Lenglet, who joined on loan from Barcelona, could be included in the squad.
Espanyol’s Edu Exposito is still recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and defender Leandro Cabrera missed Monday’s training session due to a physical issue. Cabrera must be assessed before the game, with Sergi Gomez potentially stepping in if Cabrera is unavailable.
Atletico Madrid vs. Espanyol: Possible Starting XI
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Gimenez, Witsel, Le Normand; Llorente, Gallagher, Koke, Lino; Griezmann, Alvarez; Sorloth
Espanyol: Garcia; Tejero, El Hilali, Kumbulla, Gomez, Romero; Kral, Gragera, Milla; Veliz, Puado
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