Atleti welcomes a wounded Valencia

Simeone’s men host Valencia at the Metropolitano after the international break. Atleti will be looking to scratch the wounds of a Valencia side that is in last place with 1 point out of 12. Baraja’s men visit the red-and-white ground with the obligation to change their bad dynamic.

Atlético arrives with 8 points out of 12 in the league. The last match was won at San Mamés with a goal from Correa. In the last match at home they drew 0-0 against Espanyol, who were bottom of the table. This result is the example that Valencia must look to in order to get a good result in Madrid.

Valencia heads to the Spanish capital with 1 point out of 12 possible. The draw against Villarreal in the fourth round opened the scoring for Los Ches. The defeats against Barça, Celta and Athletic have been the other results for Baraja’s men in the league.

Lino shoots at goal during Valencia’s last visit to the Metropolitano. Source: Denis Doyle/Getty Images.

Among all the competitions, Atleti and Valencia have faced each other on 182 occasions. Atleti have won 72 matches, there have been 48 draws and 62 victories for Valencia.

Diego Simeone has made it clear in a press conference that his team is in for a tough match: “Valencia, thanks to their coach and the way the team has behaved since he arrived, has a specific way of playing. They respect it, they play with confidence because they know they compete well. I can’t imagine a different competitive team than the one we’ve faced since Baraja came to Valencia.”

Rubén Baraja has praised the rival and has given some clues about what Valencia should do in the match: “It’s going to be a very difficult match. They are a very powerful team in every sense. Vertical, with great speed. We have to be at our highest level to be able to compete, we have to be close to perfection and that’s what we’ve trained for. We’ll look for our options in the match by being ourselves.”

Antoine Griezmann: The Frenchman remains the pillar of the red-and-white team. His good numbers last year allowed Atleti to enter the Champions League. He will be a starter and a headache for Valencia’s defence.

Julian Alvarez: The star signing of the summer transfer window for Atlético has not scored yet. His performance is expected to improve after the good international break he has had.

Marcos Llorente: The versatile Spanish player has been the best player for Atleti at the start of the league. He has earned himself a place on the right flank thanks to his power and his good numbers in these matches.

Marcos Llorente during the match against Athletic Club. Source: Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images.

Giorgi Mamardashvili: Valencia’s best player since Hugo Duro’s injury. The promising Georgian goalkeeper has been linked with top European clubs, but Valencia have managed to retain him.

Diego Lopez: He is not having the start of the season he dreamed of. He is a vital player to take advantage of the spaces behind the defence and be able to stretch his team. Fresh and bold legs for a match that looks complicated.

Javi Guerra: The midfielder was very close to joining Simeone’s team this summer. He has lost his starting position in recent games. Baraja has stated that he is a player who must take on more responsibilities.

The referee designated for this match is Cesar Soto Degreefrom the Riojan committee. He has refereed Atleti 12 times with a record of 8 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss. He has also refereed Valencia 12 times with a record of 3 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses.

XI Atlético Madrid (5-3-2): Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Giménez, Azpilicueta, Lino; Koke, Gallagher, De Paul; Griezmann, Sorloth.

XI Valencia (4-3-3): Mamardashvili; Correia, Mosquera, Tárrega, Jesús Vázquez; Guillamón, Pepelu, Almeida; Diego López, Rioja and Dani Gómez.

Mosquera fighting for the ball against FC Barcelona. Source: Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images.

Sunday’s match will test the work done by the coaches during the international break. Atleti must continue their winning streak and Valencia must get three points if they want to get out of the relegation hole and fight for the objectives set for this season.