Atletico Madrid will be aiming to avoid a third straight loss in La Liga when they resume their campaign with a clash against Espanyol at RCDE Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Diego Simeone's side are third in the La Liga table, four points behind leaders Barcelona, who have a game in hand, while Espanyol occupy 15th, one point outside of the relegation zone entering the final straight.
Match preview
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Espanyol boast a record of seven wins, seven draws and 13 defeats from their 27 La Liga matches this season, with a total of 28 points leaving them in 15th position, just one point outside of the relegation zone.
The Catalan outfit were beaten 2-1 by Mallorca before the international break, but they had picked up five points from their three matches leading into that fixture, and there have been a lot of positive signs in recent weeks.
Manolo Gonzalez's side are actually unbeaten in their last eight league games in front of their own supporters, with that run including a victory over Real Madrid, while they held high-flying Athletic Bilbao to a draw in the middle of last month.
The White and Blues secured a return to La Liga through last season's Segunda Division playoffs, so avoiding relegation was always going to be their main goal for this term, with any spot over 18th considered to be a success.
Espanyol have actually held Atletico to draws in their last three league meetings, including a 0-0 when the two teams locked horns for the reverse La Liga fixture at Wanda Metropolitano earlier this season.
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Atletico's campaign is in real danger of unravelling, with the capital giants losing precious ground in the La Liga title race, while they were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in the round of 16.
The Red and Whites beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the second leg of their contest to make it 2-2 on aggregate, but Los Blancos triumphed on penalties, and Simeone's team were then beaten 4-2 at home by Barcelona in the league last weekend.
Atletico incredibly led 2-0 at Wanda Metropolitano heading into the final 20 minutes, but they then conceded four times, with that result making it back-to-back losses in the league, having also been beaten 2-1 by Getafe on March 9.
The capital side are currently third in the La Liga table, four points behind leaders Barcelona, but the gap could be seven points on Thursday night, with Hansi Flick's side set to play their game in hand against Osasuna.
Atletico will host Barcelona for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final next week, and that competition has become even more important for the Red and Whites considering their recent results in La Liga and the Champions League.
Team News
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Espanyol will welcome Pol Lozano back into their squad this weekend, with the midfielder available again after serving a ban.
However, Fernando Pacheco, Jose Gragera, Pablo Ramon and Alvaro Tejero remain unavailable for selection due to fitness problems.
Lozano is set to return to the midfield this weekend, but it might otherwise be the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Mallorca last time out, with Alex Kral joining Roberto Fernandez in the final third of the field.
As for Atletico, Angel Correa remains suspended, while Koke is a fitness doubt due to a muscular problem, but the visitors are otherwise in strong shape for their contest with Espanyol this weekend.
Head coach Simeone is set to make changes to the side that took to the field against Barcelona before the international break, with Conor Gallagher, Nahuel Molina, Javi Galan and Jose Gimenez potentially all being introduced.
Julian Alvarez has been in outstanding form for Atletico during the 2024-25 campaign, scoring 23 times and registering five assists in n 44 appearances, and there will again be a spot in the final third of the field for the Argentina international.
Espanyol possible starting lineup:
J Garcia; El Hilali, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Romero; Carreras, Lozano, Gonzalez, J Puado; Kral, Fernandez
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Molina, Le Normand, Gimenez, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Alvarez, Griezmann
We say: Espanyol 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Atletico desperately need a win, and we are backing Simeone's side to emerge victorious here; Espanyol's recent home record is excellent, but we are expecting that to be broken by the Red and Whites on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
