Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid: Team News, Line-Ups, Live Stream & TV Info
There's more to this game than meets the eye. When Diego Simeone brings the Spanish champions to the Estadi Cornella-El Prat on Saturday afternoon, his Atletico Madrid side will be fighting on many fronts.
The one that's clear is to improve the side's league position. With Valencia seeing off Deportivo de la Coruna 2-0 on Friday night, Atletico start the game in fourth place.
That's not a position fitting for the team that performed so well last season to defy the odds and beat Real Madrid and Barcelona to the title, although it does tie in with Simeone's claims that his side are merely fighting for a Champions League place, not the league.
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The Rojiblancos know that if they win, they will leapfrog Valencia and sit third, by a point. Well-poised to hound down whoever comes off worse in next week's Clasico.
But beyond that, there are plenty of other scraps to consider. Espanyol forward Christian Stuani will be going head-to-head with his countryman, Diego Godin.
Atletico will be battling against themselves, too; after last week's bloodbath against Valencia, Mario Mandzukic and Guilherme Siqueira are suspended.
Joao Miranda and Antoine Griezmann return from suspension, meanwhile, showing Simeone's side need to be more careful not to keep getting on the wrong side of referees.
Historic form shows this will be Atletico's game, as they have won five of the last six clashes against Espanyol. However, current form tells a different story.
Simeone's men have won just one of their last five, suffering league and Champions League defeats by Celta Vigo and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.
Espanyol, meanwhile, have picked up two wins in their past five fixtures but also suffered a painful Copa del Rey semi-final knockout by Bilbao's Athletic Club, denying them the chance of a Catalan derby final.
Speaking of derbies, this is a Catalonia vs. Madrid clash, which should mean the action in the stands is spicy, too, although a fair percentage of Espanyol fans are prone to waving the Spanish flag now and again.
Espanyol have a score to settle, too, having been defeated by two goals to nil at the Vicente Calderon earlier this season.
Predicted Lineups
Espanyol: Casilla, Arbilla, Alvaro, Moreno, Fuentes, Vazquez, Canas, Sanchez, Sevilla, Stuani, Garcia.
Atletico Madrid: Moya, Juanfran, Godin, Miranda, Gamez, Turan, Gabi, Tiago, Koke, Griezmann, Torres.
Date: Saturday, March 14
Time: 3 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET
Venue: Estadi Cornella-El Prat
TV Info: beIN Sports USA (US only). Game not shown live on UK TV due to broadcasting regulations.
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (US only)
Espanyol Form (all La Liga matches unless specified)
Feb 14 Malaga 0-2 Espanyol (W)
Feb 20 Getafe 2-1 Espanyol (L)
Feb 27 Espanyol 1-0 Cordoba (W)
Mar 4 Espanyol 0-2 Athletic Club (L, Copa)
Mar 8 Real Sociedad 1-0 Espanyol (L)
Atletico Madrid Form
Feb 15 Celta Vigo 2-0 Atletico (L)
Feb 21 Atletico 3-0 Almeria (W)
Feb 25 Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Atletico (L, CL)
Mar 1 Sevilla 0-0 Atletico (D)
Mar 8 Atletico 1-1 Valencia (D)
Key Quote
Diego Simeone spoke about Espanyol's ability to threaten his side. Classic Simeone really, highlighting the need for solidity despite his team being Spain's reigning champions.
He said, per Sport:
"When they’re intense, they’re a tricky opponent, with players in attack who have lots of speed, like Sergio García and Felipe Caicedo, along with players who get forward well from deeper, like Christian Stuani. They’re a dangerous team and will demand that we’re at our best.
"
Key Battle
Antoine Griezmann is back after missing the game against Valencia and he's looking for goals. The striker is out to score more than the 16 he netted last season in the league and just needs two to get that far. Hector Moreno, the Mexican defender, will have his hands full trying to deal with the French livewire.
Betting Odds
The following pre-match odds are available via our betting partner Odds Shark:
Home Win: 16/5
Away Win: 50/59
Draw: 13/2
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