La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid will hope to push controversial off-the-pitch events to one side when they prepare for battle against relegation candidates Huesca on Thursday evening.
Diego Simeone's men produced a five-star performance to sweep aside Eibar last time out, while Huesca were brought crashing back down to earth with a 1-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Alaves.
Match preview
© Reuters
No Luis Suarez? No Joao Felix? No problem for Atletico Madrid. Angel Correa and Marcos Llorente shouldered the goalscoring burden with two goals apiece in a routine 5-0 thrashing of basement side Eibar on Sunday, with Yannick Carrasco also getting in on the act to strike his side's third goal on the night.
However, that thrashing soon paled into insignificance following the news that Atletico were one of 12 founding members of the highly controversial European Super League - a move that bemused most given their grand total of zero Champions League crowns - and Simeone broke his silence to put his trust in the club's owners, despite reports claiming that his players only learned about the plans through the grapevines of social media.
Simeone's side have already seen their Champions League journey end this season - although if Aleksander Ceferin gets his way, they will not be taking part in next year's tournament - so that is even more incentive for Atletico to finish at the top of the pile and claim a long-awaited La Liga trophy.
With Barcelona playing in the Copa del Rey and Real Madrid failing to break down Getafe last weekend, Simeone's side have opened up a three-point gap at the top of the standings with seven games left to play, and victory over Eibar represented their third triumph in a row on home soil.
During that time, Atletico have shipped just one goal and notched up eight at the correct end of the field, and they are unbeaten in 27 La Liga home matches against newly-promoted sides under Simeone, who is in no position to let that streak crash and burn amid all of the off-the-pitch drama.
© Reuters
The Pacheta revolution at Huesca had been gathering some steam in recent weeks, with seven points from their last three games before a trip to Alaves, but Pacheta's side came out second best against their fellow strugglers in a 1-0 defeat last Sunday.
Rodrigo Battaglia netted the decisive goal with 85 minutes on the clock as Huesca's three-game unbeaten run came to an abrupt end, but that hot streak before their gameweek 31 defeat boosted their survival prospects as the teams beneath them continue to falter.
Pacheta's men are still embroiled in a survival dogfight as they sit 17th in the table - level on points with Real Valladolid and one ahead of Elche - but their relegation rivals are enduring their own barren runs without wins and Huesca have managed to take advantage in recent gameweeks.
However, the visitors travel to the Wanda Metropolitano boasting a mere two wins away from home all season - both of which have come in their last six games on the road - and they are yet to suffer back-to-back defeats on rival turf under Pacheta, but there is a first time for everything in football and Simeone will be out to pile more misery on his adversary this week.
Huesca did manage to hold Atletico to a goalless stalemate when the sides met in September, but the La Liga table-toppers have strung together a three-game unbeaten run against their midweek opponents, who have failed to score against Simeone's side in that time.
- W
- D
- W
- L
- D
- W
- D
- L
- W
- L
- D
- W
- L
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Atletico forward pairing Suarez and Felix are still struggling with muscular and ankle problems respectively, and both players could reportedly be out of action until May, so Correa and Llorente will provide a focal point in attack.
Moussa Dembele made just his third La Liga appearance off the bench last time out but is unlikely to be granted his first start here - despite a quick turnaround in fixtures - while Lucas Torreira's frustrations on the bench are likely to continue here as well.
Mario Hermoso is an option at left-back for Simeone if he opts to shuffle the pack before a trip to Athletic Bilbao, but Renan Lodi should get the nod in defence once again, while Thomas Lemar had to be withdrawn from the squad to face Eibar due to a thigh problem.
Huesca manager Pacheta has been boosted by the news that Javier Ontiveros and Gaston Silva are ready to return to action, but both players may only be fit enough for a spot on the bench this week.
However, Pablo Maffeo is expected to remain out for a little while longer as he battles his way back from a shoulder issue, and Pacheta could opt to bring Dimitrios Siovas back into the rearguard for the trip to the capital.
Rafa Mir had netted six goals in five La Liga outings before drawing a blank against Alaves, and Real Sociedad's Alexander Isak is the only player younger than Mir to score at least 10 goals in the 2020-21 Spanish top-flight campaign.
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Trippier, Gimenez, Savic, Lodi; Carrasco, Koke, Herrera, Saul; Correa, Llorente
Huesca possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Pulido, Insua, Siovas; Lopez, Ferreiro, Mosquera, Seoane, Galan; Mir, Ramirez
We say: Atletico Madrid 2-0 Huesca
Pacheta is giving Huesca the best chance possible of staying up and can take pride in his work so far, but a seismic shock at the home of the leaders is surely a step too far for his side.
Inconsistency has been the theme for Atletico in recent weeks, but they should have no trouble putting another relegation-threatened side to the sword in midweek, with another clean sheet to boot.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Atletico Madrid win with a probability of 65.04%. A draw had a probability of 21.5% and a win for Huesca had a probability of 13.49%.
The most likely scoreline for an Atletico Madrid win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.11%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (13.22%) and 2-1 (9.42%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.04%), while for a Huesca win it was 0-1 (5.36%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 13.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Atletico Madrid would win this match.
