Coming off a heartbreaking loss on penalty kicks to Real Sociedad in Saturday’s Copa del Rey final, Atlético Madrid travel to Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero to face off against relegation candidates Elche on Wednesday night at 7 PM local time.

In LALIGA, not much has changed for Atlético (17-6-8, 57 points). The Rojiblancos still sit fourth, four points behind Villarreal for third and 11 points ahead of Real Betis in fifth. The one thing that has changed though is morale. On Saturday, Simeone’s men came crashing back down to earth after a competition they had prioritized this season — the Copa del Rey — ended in a brutal 4-3 shootout defeat to Pellegrino Matarazzo’s Real Sociedad.

Atleti’s form in the league has been poor. The Rojiblancos have lost three league games on the spin and have not won away from home in LALIGA since February. Although that comes with an asterisk, as Atleti’s focus has been elsewhere, Simeone has to find a way to inspire confidence ahead of the UEFA Champions League semifinal tie against Arsenal, which begins in eight days’ time.

With their sights solely on the Champions League semis, El Cholo will remain creative in the seven still-pending LALIGA matches. A win Wednesday would help Atlético clinch a Champions League spot for next season; three points would put Atleti 14 points clear of fifth-place Betis, who still face Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. These will be especially good opportunities for Jan Oblak and Pablo Barrios to regain match fitness after missing extended time with muscle injuries.

After achieving promotion to top-flight football last year, Elche (7-11-13, 32 points) find themselves in a familiar position, battling to avoid an immediate drop. After finally returning to the top division of Spanish football in 2013/14, Elche has been relegated to a lower division three times. But fortunately for the Franjiverdes, the race for relegation in LALIGA is tight. A win against Atleti and some favorable results elsewhere could see Elche jump all the way to 13th and out of the drop zone.

After not winning their first match in 2026 until March, things are looking up for the Ilicitanos, who are winners of two of their last three matches. Another positive sign is, remarkably, Elche have the sixth-best home record in LALIGA this season, collecting 28 points from 16 matches and losing just twice at the Martínez Valero. The last time Elche hosted Atlético de Madrid, the home side prevailed 1-0, back in the 2022/23 season.

One time Atlético Madrid target Rafa Mir has impressed this season, having scored eight goals. Another bright spot has been André Silva, who joined Elche for just €1m from RB Leipzig; the Portuguese forward has scored seven goals for Elche. Héctor Fort, the right-back on loan from Barcelona, has also been a nice addition for head coach Éder Sarabia.

A lot of Atlético supporters, yours truly included, left Saturday’s final a bit confused about why Ademola Lookman was subbed off early into the second half. On Monday, it was announced that the Nigerian winger felt a sharp pain in his adductor and that’s why he was taken off. It was also announced that Alexander Sørloth picked up a knock late in the final against La Real.

Neither attacker will make the trip Wednesday. The severity of both injuries remains to be seen, and both players worked off to the side during Monday’s training session as a precaution.

Many were concerned when Marcos Llorente was taken off late into extra time on Saturday after he appeared to tweak his lower back. However, the substitution appears to have just been precautionary, and Llorente returned to training as normal on Monday.

On the defensive front, Dávid Hancko and José María Giménez continue to push on in their recovery from their respective injuries. Hancko appears more ready for a return than Josema, as there was chatter the Slovakian could have been risked, if needed, in the Copa del Rey final.

On the transfer news front, it was reported late Friday that Barcelona is interested in Alexander Sørloth. This news certainly came out of left field, but given Robert Lewandowski’s uncertain future, Hansi Flick apparently admires the profile of Sørloth and views the Norwegian as a capable replacement.

Atlético Madrid hold a 32–10–11 all-time record against Elche in LALIGA. In their last 10 league meetings, Los Colchoneros have a 8-1-1 record against the Franjiverdes. Atlético and Elche drew 1-1 back in August during a particularly frustrating match at the Metropolitano. Alexander Sørloth scored the lone goal for Atleti before Rafa Mir equalized.

Prediction: 1-0, Atleti win with a goal from Baena.

Possible 11: Oblak; Julio Díaz, Le Normand, Lenglet, Javier Boñar; Cardoso, Mendoza, Nico, Baena, Almada; Alvarez

Notable players who have represented both clubs

Rodri Mendoza, Rubén Pérez, Jorge Otero, Germán Valera and Alejandro Iturbe.