On Sunday against Girona, Atlético Madrid showcased the full attacking prowess of their revamped forward line (3:0). It’s evident that against newly promoted Espanyol, they will be strong up front again: expect sweeping attacks with plenty of shots.
At the start of the La Liga season, Atlético Madrid is demonstrating impressive efficiency: with 2.56 xG, they have scored 5 goals (the best difference in the tournament). Even without the injured Thomas Lemar and Marcos Paulo, who could have bolstered the Madrid club on the wings, the team remains highly versatile. Against Girona, both Antoine Griezmann and Marcos Llorente managed 1+1 each, and now the team is anticipating debut contributions from their star newcomer, Julián Álvarez.
Espanyol navigated their La Liga playoff against Oviedo (2:1 on aggregate) beautifully, but they seemed unable to recover and prepare adequately for the new season during the two-month break. Against Valladolid and Real Sociedad (both 0:1), they looked lacklustre up front, failing to score with 2.31 xG. Manolo Gonzalez is relying on the forward duo Javi Puado and Gastón Valles, who are yet to find their form.
The last time Atlético Madrid lost to Espanyol was in May 2019 (since then, three wins and three draws). The Madrid side will overwhelm their Catalan opponent with their attacking might, and the home crowd will add extra motivation for the hosts.
| Bookmaker | 1 | X | 2 | U 2.5 | O 2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1/4
|
24/5
|
11/1
|
21/20
|
3/4
|
|
|
13/50
|
43/10
|
11/1
|
1/1
|
4/5
|
|
|
27/100
|
19/4
|
12/1
|
1/1
|
4/5
|
|
|
1/4
|
9/2
|
12/1
|
—
|
—
|
|
|
1/4
|
9/2
|
12/1
|
19/20
|
83/100
|
|
|
1/4
|
9/2
|
12/1
|
19/20
|
83/100
|
|
Diego Simeone
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
Jan Oblak
|
gk. | 2 | -2 |
|
Alejandro Iturbe
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Juan Musso
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
César Azpilicueta
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
José María Giménez
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Reinildo Mandava
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Robin Le Normand
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Axel Witsel
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Nahuel Molina Lucero
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Clément Lenglet
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Javi Galán
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Koke
|
mf. | 2 | 1 |
|
Marcos Llorente
|
mf. | 2 | 2 |
|
Pablo Barrios
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Rodrigo De Paul
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Conor Gallagher
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Germán Valera
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Javier Serrano MartÃnez
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Tom Lemaire
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alexander Sorloth
|
fw. | 2 | 1 |
|
Antoine Griezmann
|
fw. | 2 | 1 |
|
Julián Alvarez
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Samuel Dias Lino
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Ángel Correa
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Rodrigo Riquelme
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Borja Garcés
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Giuliano Simeone Baldini
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Marcos Paulo
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Víctor Mollejo
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Manolo González
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
Joan García
|
gk. | 2 | -2 |
|
Angel Fortuno
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Fernando Pacheco
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Carlos Romero
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Leandro Cabrera
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Omar El Hilali
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Álvaro Tejero
|
df. | 2 | 0 |
|
Brian Oliván
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Marash Kumbulla
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Sergi Gómez
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Fernando Calero
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alex Král
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Jofre Carreras
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
José Gragera Amado
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Álvaro Aguado
|
mf. | 2 | 0 |
|
Pol Lozano
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Edu Expósito
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
José Carlos Lazo
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alejo Véliz
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Antoniu Roca
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Irvin Cardona
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Javi Puado
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Pere Milla
|
fw. | 2 | 0 |
|
Gastón Valles
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Kenneth Soler
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Max Svensson
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Omar Sadik
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Salvi Sánchez
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Walid Cheddira
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
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La Liga
