La Liga Preview: Atlético de Madrid’s Strong Transfers But Yet to Hit Form, Athletic Club Aiming for Home Victory

On September 1st at 1:00 AM, the fourth round of the new La Liga season will feature a key match as Athletic Club hosts Atlético de Madrid at San Mamés Stadium. Both teams have yet to reach their best form this season.

Athletic Club recently secured a 1-0 victory over Valencia on Wednesday, while Atlético de Madrid played out a goalless draw with Espanyol at the Metropolitano Stadium on the same night.

Athletic Club began their new season on August 15th with a 1-1 draw against Getafe, followed by a 1-2 loss to Barcelona last weekend, which put some pressure on them before the Valencia game. Although the match against Valencia was not particularly exciting, they managed to secure a win thanks to Benat Prados’ 45th-minute goal.

Currently, Athletic Club has accumulated 4 points from three matches, placing them 9th in the league table. The team hopes to add another three points before the international break. This summer, Athletic Club brought in three new signings, with Álvaro Díaz being the most notable. Additionally, they successfully retained Nico Williams, who had attracted interest from Barcelona, Arsenal, and Liverpool.

Last season, the two sides met four times in La Liga and the Copa del Rey, with Athletic Club winning 2-0 and 3-0 at home, and also securing a 1-0 victory away in the Copa del Rey, although they lost 1-3 away in La Liga. In their last ten encounters, Athletic Club won six, drew one, and lost three games.

Atlético de Madrid remains undefeated in this season’s La Liga but seems to be still finding its best form, drawing two of their first three matches. Simeone’s team drew 2-2 with Villarreal in the opener, then beat Girona 3-0 last weekend, but were held to a draw by Espanyol in midweek.

Currently, Atlético sits fourth in the league standings with five points from three matches. They will return to play Valencia at home after the international break. Last season, Atlético finished fourth in La Liga and made numerous moves in the transfer market, bringing in Alvarez, Gallagher, Le Norman, Serrano, Musso, and Lenglet.

In addition to João Félix, Atlético also saw departures of Samu Omoijuanfo, Morata, and Soyuncu.

Athletic Club currently has four injured players, Yuri Berchiche, Aitor Paredes, Iñigo Galarraga, and Unai Simón, all of whom will miss the game. However, no new injuries were reported in the Valencia match, and some adjustments are expected in the lineup, with Nico Williams and Mikel Vesga likely to get playing time.

As for Atlético, Marcos Paulo is still unavailable, but the squad has sufficient depth elsewhere, giving Simeone multiple options. Compared to the game against Espanyol, several changes are expected, with Griezmann and José Giménez potentially returning to the starting lineup, while Samuel Lino might revert to his position as a fullback.

Griezmann may drop slightly deeper, with Serrano and Alvarez expected to continue up front, while new arrivals Lenglet and Gallagher could wait for opportunities from the bench.

The outcome of this match is unpredictable, with both teams closely matched. Since September 2021, none of the eight games between the two sides have ended in a draw, but this match promises to be evenly contested, though Athletic Club hopes to use their home advantage to secure three points.

Expected starting lineup for Athletic Club:

Agirrezabala; De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Bóil; Vesga, Prados; Iñigo Williams, Sancet, Díaz; Nico Williams

Expected starting lineup for Atlético de Madrid:

Obłak; Molina, Le Norman, Vertonghen, Giménez, Lino; De Paul, Koke, Griezmann; Serrano, Alvarez

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