Atletico Madrid will be aiming to make it nine straight wins in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign with a clash against Sevilla at Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday night.
Diego Simeone's side are currently third in the La Liga table, picking up 32 points from their opening 15 matches of the campaign, while Sevilla are 11th, boasting 19 points from their first 15 games of the 2024-25 season.
Match preview
Atletico continued their excellent run of form in the Copa del Rey on Thursday evening, booking their spot in the third round of the competition courtesy of a 3-1 success over Cacereno.
The Red and Whites thumped Real Valladolid 5-0 in La Liga last weekend, while they hit Sparta Prague for six in the Champions League at the end of last month, with Simeone's side posting eight straight wins in all competitions during an excellent run.
The capital giants have won their last four in the league against Las Palmas, Mallorca, Alaves and Real Valladolid, and they currently sit in third spot in the table, one point behind second-placed Real Madrid and five from the leaders Barcelona with a game in hand.
As a result, Atletico must be mentioned as potential title contenders at this stage of proceedings, particularly due to their excellent defence, which has conceded just eight times in 15 matches, comfortably the best record in the division.
The Red and Whites are unbeaten at Wanda Metropolitano in La Liga this season, picking up 17 points from their seven matches, while Sevilla have been victorious in just one of their seven away league fixtures in 2024-25, which is an indication of the size of their task.
Sevilla will bring a three-game unbeaten run into this clash, though, picking up four points from their last two league games against Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna, before beating Olot 3-1 in the Copa del Rey on Thursday night.
Garcia Pimienta's side have not lost since a 1-0 reverse to Leganes on November 9, but it has once again been an underwhelming campaign to date, with 19 points leaving them in 11th spot in the table, already 10 points off the Champions League spots.
Sevilla's defensive record this season is relatively strong, only conceding 19 times, but they have struggled down the other end of the field, scoring just 14 goals, which is the joint-third worst attacking record in the division.
Los Nervionenses finished 14th in La Liga last term, which proved to be their worst campaign since being relegated in 2000, and they look some way from the side that finished fourth in three straight seasons between 2020 and 2022.
Sevilla actually beat Atletico 1-0 when the two teams last locked horns at Estadio Ramon back in February, but they suffered a 1-0 defeat in the contest at Wanda Metropolitano at the end of 2023.
Team News
Atletico will be without the services of two players through injury on Sunday, with Nahuel Molina absent due to a hamstring issue, while Thomas Lemar remains on the sidelines with a muscular problem.
Alexander Sorloth was unable to make his mark in the Copa del Rey last time out, so the striker is likely to find himself back on the bench here, with Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez set to feature as the front two.
Clement Lenglet has also been in excellent form of late and will return to the XI, while the same can also be said for Marcos Llorente, Pablo Barrios and Conor Gallagher, who all featured off the bench in the late success over Cacereno.
As for Sevilla, Tanguy Nianzou and Chidera Ejuke are absent for this weekend's contest, but the visitors are otherwise in strong shape for their trip to Wanda Metropolitano.
As expected, head coach Garcia Pimienta rung the changes in the Copa del Rey during the week, but there will be a more familiar look to the side here, with Peque Fernandez, Adria Pedrosa, Kike Salas, Isaac Romero, Jose Angel Carmona and Dodi Lukebakio among those set to return to the starting side.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Juanlu Sanchez were both on the scoresheet against Olot, but the pair are likely to find themselves back on the bench for the clash with Atletico.
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
A Fernandez; Carmona, Bade, Salas, Pedrosa; Sow, Gudelj, Lokonga; Lukebakio, Romero, P Fernandez
We say: Atletico Madrid 2-0 Sevilla
Sevilla certainly have the players to make this a difficult assignment for Atletico, but Simeone's side are in excellent form at the moment, and we are struggling to see anything other than a routine home success at Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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