L'Hospitalet vs. Atletico Madrid: 3 Things Atleti Should Test in Copa Del Rey

Atletico Madrid travel east to the Estadi La Feixa Llarga in Catalonia on Wednesday to take on Segunda B outfit L'Hospitalet in round of 32 action in the Copa del Rey. 

Fresh from three consecutive victories over Malaga, Olympiakos and Deportivo La Coruna since the international break, the defending Spanish champions head into this clash in a strong run of form and will likely look to experiment against their vastly inferior opponents. 

Let's take a look at what Diego Simeone could test in the cup match. 

Jesus Gamez Alongside Diego Godin at Centre-Back

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One of the notable changes Simeone will be forced into against L'Hospitalet on Wednesday is a re-structure of his back four, given that both Miranda and Jose Gimenez are unavailable. 

The Brazilian is still recovering from a hamstring injury picked up during the international break, while the Uruguayan suffered a blow to the head against Deportivo on Sunday and will be sidelined for precautionary reasons, per Inside Spanish Football. 

Such a situation leaves Simeone needing to use a makeshift central defender, with second-choice right-back Jesus Gamez the obvious option to perform the role. 

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Alongside Diego Godin, the pair could be deployed in an aggressor-sweeper style partnership, with Gamez pushing ahead to break up attacks as they develop and Godin stationed on the last line to mop up any moves that progress.  

Of course, it's a situation that's unlikely to repeat itself in 2014-15, but if the pair can prove to be defensively sound in Wednesday's clash then Simeone will only have enhanced the array of variations available to him when more opportunities arise to rotate the squad. 

Alessio Cerci in a Roaming Role from the Right

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Since his switch from Torino in the summer transfer window, Alessio Cerci hasn't been able to break into the Atletico Madrid starting XI and has been forced to accept a substitute's role.

But Simeone has hinted that the Italian deserves more playing time than he's enjoyed thus far, with Wednesday's outing in the Copa del Rey representing an ideal time to test the forward. 

A powerful striker of the ball on his favoured left boot, Cerci tends to be at his most dangerous when cutting inside from a wide starting berth on the right.  

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Against L'Hospitalet, Simeone could use the 27-year-old in a roaming role from the right of his midfield, with the athletic Raul Jimenez (who's also likely to earn a rare start) operating as the lone striker. 

The move, should it be successful, could breed some confidence for Cerci in Simeone, while providing the manager with an option to turn to in matches where a contrasting threat to Arda Turan is needed from the right flank. 

Just One Midfield Anchor in a 4-1-4-1 Formation

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As mentioned, Atletico's preferred formation is a robust 4-4-2, featuring two anchors at the heart of the midfield—normally Tiago and Gabi. 

But Simeone has also shown us that he's very flexible this season when showcasing a variety of other systems, one of which was a potent-looking 4-1-4-1 used in the 4-0 thrashing of Sevilla. 

On that afternoon at the Vicente Calderon, Tiago occupied the deeper role, with a four-man line of Koke, Gabi, Saul Niguez and Turan ahead of him that bolstered Atleti's attacking presence in Sevilla's half. 

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On Wedneday, Simeone could go for something similar with different personnel, which would allow Cerci to play that attacking role from the right as mentioned and Cristian Rodriguez to get a rare chance from the left. 

Antoine Griezmann, who's also been under-played to this point, could also start more centrally in such a formation—the sort of position that it's hoped he can eventually adapt to at the Vicente Calderon.

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