Atletico Madrid will be aiming to extend their winning run in all competitions to 14 matches when they resume their La Liga campaign with a clash against Osasuna at Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday afternoon.
Diego Simeone's side are currently second in the La Liga table, two points behind Real Madrid, so a win here would move them back to the summit, while Osasuna occupy 10th position in the top flight of Spanish football.
Match preview
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Atletico secured their spot in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Marbella in their opening match of 2025, and the Red and Whites will now take on Elche for a spot in the quarter-finals next week.
The capital giants have incredibly won each of their last 13 matches in all competitions, including their last seven in La Liga, which has put them firmly in the title picture heading into the second half of the campaign.
Simeone's side are currently second in the table, three points above third-placed Barcelona and two behind leaders Real Madrid, with a game in hand on both, so Atletico are currently in charge when it comes to the title race.
It would be a remarkable achievement to finish ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona this season, but they now have the firepower to compete with the two giants, with Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth boosting the attack last summer.
Atletico have the second-best home record in La Liga this season, picking up 23 points from nine matches, remaining unbeaten in the process, and they will be welcoming an Osasuna side that have only won once on their travels in the league this term.
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Osasuna are also present in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey, beating Tenerife 2-1 in the round of 32 earlier this month, and they will take on Athletic Bilbao in the next round of the competition next week.
Vicente Moreno's side are without a victory in La Liga since the start of November, though, drawing four and losing two of their last six matches in Spain's top flight, including a 2-1 reverse to Athletic before the winter break.
Los Rojillos boast a record of six wins, seven draws and five defeats from their 18 La Liga matches this season, with a total of 25 points leaving them in 10th position, level on points with seventh-placed Real Sociedad.
Osasuna actually stunned Atletico in the corresponding match last season, recording a 4-1 victory, but 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two sides in the top flight of Spanish football have been won by the team from the capital.
Los Rojillos finished 11th in Spain's top flight last term, so there is room for improvement in 2024-25, and there is certainly enough quality in the squad to claim a top-half position come the end of the campaign.
Team News
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Atletico head coach Simeone named a strong XI against Marbella in the Copa del Rey, with Antoine Griezmann and Alvarez featuring as the front two, and the former scored the only goal of the contest in the round of 32.
There will be changes on Sunday, with Marcos Llorente back in the side, while Jose Gimenez is expected to overcome a muscular problem in time to feature in the middle of the defence this weekend.
Simeone could name the same XI that took to the field for the 2-1 win over Barcelona in the team's last league match, with Conor Gallagher once again expected to operate in a wide midfield role for the Red and Whites.
As for Osasuna, Kike Barja remains a doubt due to a thigh problem, but there will be a return to the squad for Alejandro Catena, who was suspended for the team's last league match against Athletic.
Juan Cruz, Sergio Herrera and Moi Gomez are likely to be back in the side after starting on the bench against Tenerife, but there should again be a spot in the final third of the field for Ruben Garcia.
Ante Budimir has scored 10 league goals during another impressive season to date, and the experienced forward will lead the line for Osasuna on Sunday afternoon.
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Areso, Catena, Boyomo, Cruz; Moncayola, Torro, Oroz; Ruben Garcia, Budimir, M Gomez
We say: Atletico Madrid 2-0 Osasuna
It is difficult to see where Atletico's winning run will stop considering their performance level, and we are expecting Simeone's side to pick up the result that they need on Sunday to return to the top of the La Liga table.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
