Sevilla vs Atletico Madrid: Preview and Prediction
With the international break coming to a close, club football returns and there are plenty of feisty fixtures this weekend. In La Liga’s pick of this week, Sevilla will host Atletico Madrid at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday.
Both teams have struggled for consistency this season and after a much-needed breather, it remains to be seen how the two sides will perform. While the hosts played out a 1-1 draw with Villarreal before the international break, Deigo Simeone’s men endured a painful derby defeat at the hands of Real Madrid.
Julen Lopetegui has endured a tough start to the season, winning just one match so far in the league, they currently sit in 15th place on the league standings just two spots above the relegation berths, which is uncharacteristic for the Red and Whites.
On the other hand, their opponents Atletico have also been inconsistent with goals hard to come by. Joao Felix is struggling, Alvaro Morata needs to find his scoring boots, whereas both Angel Correa and Matheus Cunha have been used sparingly by Simeone. However, Sevilla’s defence has been their Achilles heel, and so this has the makings of a classic encounter.
With both clubs eager to secure a top-four finish, the result of this match could have a big impact on the league table, and how these two sides progress from here onwards.
Current Form
When it comes to current form, Los Rojiblancos have some sort of upper hand over the club from Seville, who have won just once so far in competitive games this season. Sevilla began their league campaign with defeats against Osasuna and newly promoted Almeria, sandwiched between a 1-1 draw with Real Valladolid.
Subsequent defeats against Manchester City and Barcelona didn’t help Lopetegui’s case, but their win over Espanyol certainly lifted the mood a bit at the Sanchez Pizjuan. They entered into the international break after playing back-to-back draws with Copenhagen and Villarreal. They have only earned a paltry five points from six games, a far cry from the record six-time UEFA Europa League champs.
Elsewhere, Atletico has taken 10 points from six games, but there is plenty of scope for improvement for Simeone’s men. After beating Getafe in their first competitive fixture of the season, the club from Wanda Metropolitano endured a 2-0 defeat against Villarreal. They did bounce back to winning ways with a win over Valencia but played out a draw in their next fixture against Real Sociedad.
Antoine Griezmann has been effective but he has been limited to 30-minute cameos
Consecutive wins over Porto and Celta Vigo boosted Atletico’s confidence but they were again given a reality check by Bayer Leverkusen. The derby defeat to their city rivals before the international break left them seventh in the league standings.
Team News
The sale of Diego Carlos and Jules Kounde has left Sevilla short in the heart of the defense with midfielder Nemanja Gudelj having to fill in alongside 20-year-old Tanguy Nianzou. Erik Lamela missed the draw against Villarreal but should be available for this weekend’s action.
Jesus Corona is out with ligament damage until the end of this year, but apart from him, Lopetegui will have a full roster to choose from. Kasper Dolberg scored for Denmark in the international break and will be hoping for his first start since joining up with the Los Nervionenses.
As far as Atletico are concerned, they had a relatively quiet summer window and Simeone has had to deal with plenty of injury woes this term. Both Stefan Savic and Jose Maria Gimenez had been recovering from their respective injuries, but they could be in line to start this weekend.
Thomas Lemar has also recovered from his setback but Sergio Reguilon won’t be able to play any part in the contest after undergoing surgery. Moreover, the visitors will be without the services of Mario Hermoso who picked up a needless red card during the Madrid derby.
Head to Head Record
In total, the Spanish clubs have locked horns on 51 occasions to date, with Sevilla prevailing 18 times, whereas Atletico has won 17 times. 16 matches have ended as draws. The last time these two sides faced off in the league, they played out a 1-1 stalemate earlier in May.
Predicted Starting XIs
Sevilla (4-3-3): Yassine Bounou; Marcos Acuna, Tanguy Nianzou, Nemanja Gudelj, Gonzalo Montiel; Fernando, Joan Jordan; Oliver Torres, Isco, Papu Gomez; Kasper Dolberg
Atletico Madrid (3-5-2): Jan Oblak; Reinildo, Jose Maria Gimenez, Stefan Savic; Yannick Carrasco, Koke, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Rodrigo De Paul, Marcos Llorente; Joao Felix, Alvaro Morata
Prediction
Judging the current form of both these sides, it is really difficult to imagine either of them running away with this one. A draw would be the most likely outcome, with the struggles of Sevilla at back, and Atletico going forward.
