La Liga Preview: Atlético de Madrid Aims to Maintain Unbeaten Run with Enhanced Squad, RCD Espanyol Seeks First Points

On August 29 at 3:30 AM, the Spanish La Liga will witness its third-round match as Atlético de Madrid hosts RCD Espanyol.

Away from home in the first round, Atlético de Madrid drew 2-2 with Villarreal and then found their form by defeating Girona 3-0 in the second round. With one win and one draw in the first two rounds, they have accumulated 4 points and are currently ranked fourth in the league table. The team is off to a good start, trailing five points behind the top-ranked Barcelona and three points behind the second-placed Villarreal. Facing the newly promoted team, the goal for this match is to secure all three points and stay close to the top teams.

In last season’s La Liga, Atlético de Madrid achieved 24 wins, 4 draws, and 10 losses, accumulating 76 points to finish fourth in the league table. The team also secured a spot in the Champions League. Over 38 matches, the attack was impressive with a total of 70 goals scored. However, defensively, they conceded 43 goals, which was a significant reason why they could not break into the top three.

This season, the team has been very active in the transfer market, spending heavily on reinforcements across all lines, aiming for greater achievements in the new season. In defense, they spent €34.5 million to sign Real Sociedad defender Le Normand, and another €42 million to acquire midfielder Gallagher. Up front, they invested €75 million in Alvarez and €32 million in Sorloth, indicating ambitions far beyond merely securing a Champions League berth. Currently, the squad is fully fit and ready to tackle the league.

RCD Espanyol is the newly promoted team this season. In the first two rounds, they suffered two consecutive 0-1 defeats against Real Valladolid and Real Sociedad, losing both home and away fixtures. They sit second from bottom in the league table with no points. Although performing well in the Segunda División, the team seems to struggle to keep up in the top flight. The primary goal for the new season remains avoiding relegation.

In last season’s Segunda División, RCD Espanyol achieved 17 wins, 18 draws, and 7 losses, accumulating 69 points to finish fourth in the league table. The team narrowly secured promotion to La Liga through the promotion playoffs. Over 42 matches, they scored 59 goals, with an offense that remained relatively weak. Defensively, they conceded 40 goals, a performance that was somewhat decent. It is undeniable that luck played a part in their promotion to La Liga.

In the summer window, the team did not make significant adjustments, only recalling some loaned-out players to prepare for top-flight competition. It will likely be challenging to establish themselves in La Liga with such limited moves. In terms of injuries, Espicio is out due to ligament damage, while the rest of the squad is healthy.

In the last ten encounters between the two sides, Atlético de Madrid has recorded four wins, three draws, and three losses. However, Espanyol’s last victory over Atlético came back in May 2019. Since then, Atlético has remained unbeaten with three wins and three draws. Given the disparity in strength this season, Atlético, with their significantly upgraded squad, will not allow themselves to stumble unexpectedly in this encounter.

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