Atletico Madrid vs. Eibar: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
The 2-1 defeat at Barcelona on Jan. 30 will still be playing on the minds of Atletico Madrid’s players when they host Eibar on Saturday, but the fact that they are playing almost 24 hours before the Catalans at least offers them the chance to draw level on points at the top of the Liga table.
After a disappointing run of four winless matches that has seen them drop off the pace in the league and exit the Copa del Rey, Atletico boss Diego Simeone will demand a reaction at home to an Eibar side that have defied expectations ever since their summer reprieve from relegation.
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Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side sit eighth in the table and have actually outscored Atletico (35-31) in the league this season. There will also be an interesting subplot to the game, as their free-scoring 23-year-old forward Borja Baston will take on his parent club after Eibar coughed up the €150,000 “loan fee” required to make him eligible.
With suspension ruling out three of Atletico’s usual back four, he could well end up doing some damage.
Date: Saturday, February 6
Time: 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET
Venue: Estadio Vicente Calderon, Madrid
TV Info: beIN SPORTS
Live Stream: beIN SPORTS
Last 6 Results
Atletico Madrid
Won 3-0 vs. Rayo Vallecano
Won 3-0 vs. Las Palmas
Drew 0-0 vs. Celta Vigo
Drew 0-0 vs. Sevilla
Lost 3-2 vs. Celta Vigo
Lost 2-1 vs. Barcelona
Eibar
Lost 3-2 vs. Las Palmas
Won 2-1 vs. Espanyol
Lost 3-2 vs. Las Palmas
Won 5-1 vs. Granada
Lost 5-2 vs. Athletic Bilbao
Lost 2-1 vs. Malaga
Team News
Atletico Madrid
Diego Godin and Filipe Luis are both suspended after their damaging red cards against Barcelona, and in addition to that, right-back Juanfran is also banned due to the accumulation of yellow cards.
All of which means that Jose Gimenez is going to be the only defender who started at the Camp Nou who’ll also begin this game, with the Uruguayan likely to be joined by Jesus Gamez, Stefan Savic and Lucas Hernandez in the back four.
Guilherme Siqueira would have been a candidate to start, but he joined Valencia on loan on transfer deadline day.
Jackson Martinez is another who has left the Spanish capital after his unhappy spell at Atletico was ended with a money-spinning move to China, and so Simeone could again opt to field Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco in attack alongside Antoine Griezmann. Thomas Partey could earn a start in midfield in place of the injured Augusto Fernandez.
Possible XI: Oblak, Jesus Gamez, Savic, Gimenez, Lucas, Gabi, Saul, Thomas, Koke, Ferreira-Carrasco, Griezmann.
Eibar
Capable of winning 5-1 one week and losing 5-2 the next, you never quite know what to expect with Eibar, although they are likely to retain much of the side that lost narrowly to Malaga last time out.
Ivan Ramis, Antonio Luna and goalkeeper Jaime Jimenez are all still out injured, and there is a doubt over Serbian defender Aleksandar Pantic after he was withdrawn in the first half of the Malaga defeat.
Borja Ekiza replaced him then and could come in from the start this time around, with Sergi Enrich perhaps asked to play in a deeper role in support of Borja Baston, who will have all eyes at the Vicente Calderon on him.
Possible XI: Riesgo, Ander Capa, Dos Santos, Ekiza, Junca, Keko, Escalante, Dani Garcia, Inui, Enrich, Baston.
Key Players
Atletico Madrid: Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco
It might just have been because it was away at the Camp Nou and Diego Simeone was looking to play things conservatively, but the decision to play the Belgian Ferreira-Carrasco just off Antoine Griezmann last weekend looked to be a good one until the double red card spoiled Atletico’s afternoon.
If the former Monaco man is stationed there again then he’ll be tasked with getting into goalscoring positions and linking up with Griezmann, which will be vital against opponents who’ll come looking for a point.
Eibar: Borja Baston
We’ve mentioned him a few times already, and it seems almost inevitable that Borja Baston will do something against his parent club, particularly given that Atletico suddenly look very light in the striking department following the sale of Jackson Martinez and the struggles of Fernando Torres.
A good display here could catch the eye of Simeone with a view to next season, even if the Argentinian won’t really appreciate that on Saturday afternoon.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Atletico Madrid: 2-5
Eibar: 13-1
Draw: 23-10
