Atlético Madrid return to LALIGA action when they take a trip to the Northern principality of Asturias to face Real Oviedo on Saturday night.
Sandwiched between two important midweek matches, this encounter with the league’s bottom side comes at a welcome moment for Atleti. On Tuesday this week, Los Rojiblancos assured their place in the UEFA Champions League last 16, and next Tuesday will face FC Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.
With those two cup competitions in mind during this busy period of the season, we can expect to see a lot of rotation in Diego Simeone’s team selection to play Oviedo. Los Carbayones haven’t had the dream return to LALIGA that they were hoping for, 24 years later. Oviedo (3-8-13, 17 points) languish in 20th place in the league table, eight points from safety, having struggled with the step up to first division football.
While they do have some capable names with top-flight — and even Premier League — experience, results haven’t gone the Asturians’ way, falling multiple times at the final hurdle. An example of this would be last weekend, when they let a two-goal lead slip away to Real Sociedad, only to end up drawing 3-3.
(I wonder who else would do such a thing away from home?)
Atlético on the other hand are seemingly looking to secure their Champions League status for next season, and hold onto fourth place. Atleti (14-6-5, 48 points) sit six points ahead of Real Betis, but are three points adrift of Villarreal CF. A win would take Atleti into third place, as the Yellow Submarine travel to face Barcelona earlier on Saturday.
This historic fixture between Atlético Madrid and Real Oviedo was a staple of LALIGA from the mid-1930s all the way to the late 1990s. Oviedo’s demise and near disappearance meant that this season’s reverse meeting was the first between the two in the top flight of Spanish football since May 2000. In that match at the Estadio Metropolitano, Atleti were comfortable 2-0 winners thanks to a first-half brace from Alexander Sørloth. His recent form would suggest he’d be in line to repeat that kind of performance this weekend, should he play.
Thursday’s training session at the Cerro de Espino training facility in Majadahonda saw a lineup tested so rotated, it was almost facing backwards.
A back five was implemented, with the exciting inclusion of an academy product who has more than deserved his chance in the first division. Julio Díaz has been a key part of Fernando Torres’ Atlético Madrileño side that are pushing for promotion to the second division, and he was tried at left full-back for what would be his first senior start.
Díaz an attack-minded defender that has had a hand in a fair few goals this season and last, possessing just as good a right foot as his left. Let’s see if El Cholo does finally trust in youth, or if he would prefer to stick with a regular first-team player.
Díaz was tested flanking a center-back trio of Clément Lenglet, José María Giménez and Robin Le Normand, all of whom have fallen out of favour since the emergence of Marc Pubill and Dávid Hancko as the starting defensive pair. Nahuel Molina was the player preferred in the tried XI at right full-back.
In midfield, it could be a chance for new signings Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas to get some minutes from the start, with their inclusion in Thursday’s rehearsal. They were joined by Thiago Almada, who would play a more liberal role behind the chosen forwards.
On Thursday, said forwards were Antoine Griezmann and Ademola Lookman, but with both expected to play somewhat of a part against Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Tuesday, Simeone may opt for a combination of any two of his attacking players. The aforementioned Sørloth is in a rich vein of form that he won’t want to stall, and Julián Alvarez is as thirsty for goals as a sponge in a desert is for water.
Oblak; Molina, Le Normand, Giménez, Lenglet, Ruggeri; Mendoza, Vargas, Almada; Griezmann, Sørloth.
