Madrid/Pamplona, January 11 (EFE).- With Real Madrid victorious in Valencia, Atlético de Madrid needs to win to retain the leadership, be winter champion and extend its streak of consecutive victories to unmatched levels, now for thirteen, at the expects to host Osasuna this Sunday, one of the only four teams that have won at the Metropolitano in the last 50 games, but is going through a sequence of six games without winning in this tournament.
Barcelona, Lille and Athletic Club complete the limited list of winners in that stadium against Diego Simeone’s team in the last two years, when the Navarrese block won 1-4 on May 19.
It is one of the recent memories between both teams on that stage, like that comeback that will remain forever in the memory of the Atlético fan in 2021, with the goal for history by Luis Suárez that was 2-1 and was truly worth a League, culminated later in Valladolid.
It was the penultimate appointment of the 2020-21 academic year. Every duel against Osasuna remembers that moment. The last time they won the League. Since then, he has only been the leader for six more days (the last in 2020-21 after that victory, the first in 2022-23, three in 2023-24 and one this year). That campaign was also the last time he achieved the winter ‘championship’, which he aspires to this Sunday.
Already with 19 games played by both Real Madrid, two points ahead, and Barcelona, three below, Atlético depends on itself to be the leader at the end of the first round. It will be if they beat Osasuna. It won’t be if they tie or lose. The calculations involve no one but himself.
It is a formidable incentive for this Atlético, which is already flying for 13 consecutive victories. He has a historic challenge before him: the best winning streak, 14, of his entire life, a constant winner from last October 31 to the present, with 16 goals in that journey between Antoine Griezmann and Julián Alvarez. No one in Europe is currently going through a streak as impressive as his.
It would be another record for the coach, who will keep many of the lines of his eleven almost unchanged against Osasuna, although now with the new combination on the right wing of Nahuel Molina and Marcos Llorente. Giuliano Simeone, starter in the last five games and in seven of the most recent eight, would be relegated to the bench if he finally opts for both.
Jan Oblak, Pablo Barrios and Alexander Sorloth recovered, essential to understand this moment for Atlético, although the Norwegian attacker has been a starter in only three of the last 14 games, the lineup will barely vary from the rest of the names that are almost recited by heart , from defense to attack.
Only the loss of José María Giménez, who is not yet ready to return to the competition due to the muscle injury suffered in the last game of the year against Barcelona, changes the composition. Robin Le Normand will come in to play alongside the undisputed Clement Lenglet.
Jan Oblak, after his alternative job in recent days, will return to goal; Javi Galán will maintain the left back; Rodrigo de Paul and Pablo Barrios will play in the midfield; Conor Gallagher will probably retain his place on the left side and Julián Alvarez (three games without scoring) and Antoine Griezmann, with eight goals in the last eight games, will form the forward line, with Sorloth as a reserve… And decisive in the last two days.
In principle, although he is an alternative to Gallagher, Koke Resurrección will also continue as a substitute, for the seventh time in the last eight games. He has lost his starting role, outside of the type of eleven that Simeone manages today. Samuel Lino is not expected to start either, with no minutes against Barcelona or Marbella.
Opposite, Osasuna is looking for a complex victory to leave its bad streak behind to arrive with good feelings for Thursday’s cup event in Bilbao.
The defeat against Athletic Club on December 21 left the fans somewhat cold with hopes of beating some intractable ‘lions’ this season, a team they will face again in just five days to try to reach the quarterfinals of the King’s Cup.
In between, Tenerife’s victory in the round of 32 brought the smile back to a team that has not won in the League since November 2, a time that is beginning to bother us despite its eleventh place with 25 points.
Osasuna needs to take a step forward away from home, for which Vicente Moreno, its coach, asked, “first, compete.” “That opens up possibilities for you to get a good result, but the opponent we have in front of us is very difficult, they have only lost once this year,” he added.
The four draws (Villarreal, Sevilla, Alavés and Espanyol) that preceded the 1-2 draw against Athletic left them with the feeling of having achieved more points than they achieved.
With renewed energy after a three-week break, Vicente Moreno has focused this week on putting together the correct structure so as not to suffer Atlético’s potential: “There are many more variants than before. Like everyone, they are growing and it is a team with many variants tactics with good players. I think he is winning a lot of the games in the final part because he makes five substitutions and you don’t know if the team that starts or the team that finishes is better.”
It seems that the defense of five is a real option. Areso and Bretones would occupy the sides in search of depth that will be matched by the rockiness of a central defense formed by Boyomo, Catena and Herrando.
Whatever it is, the rest of the players will be the usual ones. For this reason, Moncayola, Torró, Aimar or Budimir will start at the Metropolitano to continue the Copa del Rey and the League.
– Probable alignments:
-Atlético de Madrid: Oblak; Molina, Le Normand, Lenglet, Galán; Llorente, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann and Julián Alvarez.
Osasuna: Sergio Herrera; Areso, Boyomo, Catena, Herrando, Bretones; Moncayola, Torró, Aimar, Peña; and Budimir.
Referee: Díaz de Mera (Castilla La Mancha).
Stadium: Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
Time: 15.15 GMT
—————————————————————————————————————————
Places: Atlético de Madrid (2nd, 41 points); Osasuna (11th, 25 points).
The key: Griezmann-Julián, against three centre-backs.
The fact: Atlético will reach the best winning streak in its history if it beats Osasuna, with 14 wins.
The phrases:
Simeone: “Osasuna has courage in its game”
Vicente Moreno: “Atlético is winning many games in the final part”
Added: Lemar, at Atlético; Kike Barja and Arnaiz, in Osasuna.
Out: Giménez (injury), at Atlético; Iker Muñoz and Bryan (injury), in Osasuna.
Doubts: None at Atlético or Osasuna.
Warning: Lenglet, Galán, Koke and De Paul, at Atlético.
1011911
id-le.jr/jap
Related News :