Preview: Eibar vs. Atletico Madrid

After suffering disappointment in the Copa del Rey at the hands of Barcelona, Atletico Madrid return to La Liga action against Eibar on Saturday.

A thrilling 3-2 win for Barcelona in the Spanish capital sent Diego Simeone's side out of the competition, but the Argentine will be hopeful that one less distraction will allow the champions to boost their title bid.

If last season's triumph in La Liga was a surprise for some, it will come as a bigger shock if Atletico manage to defend the title from their current position.

Atletico head into the weekend trailing Barcelona by a point, while city rivals Real Madrid are currently four points ahead of them at the top of the table.

The big concern for Simeone will be to restore his side's confidence before the tricky trip to Eibar, but it's a challenge that the squad have passed many times before.

However, the visitors will be without Gabi and Mario Suarez for the match after both were shown red cards in what was often an ill-tempered clash with Barcelona.

Changes had already been expected from Atletico, and the decision of who to lead the line is one that may keep Simeone up at night before Saturday.

Fernando Torres once again found the net against Barcelona to continue his fine form in the early stages of his second spell at the club, but it's Mario Mandzukic who could get the nod ahead of his fellow striker.

There is also likely to be a recall for Miguel Moya in goal, while Koke is set to return in midfield after sitting out the loss on Wednesday.

At the start of the season a trip to Eibar may have looked like a routine trip for a title challenge, but Gaizka Garitano's side continue to surpass expectations in eighth spot.

Despite their league position, the Basque club head into Saturday's match on the back of a disappointment after losing 1-0 to Real Sociedad last weekend.

Garitano is unlikely to make changes to the defeated side though as Eibar look to avenge a 2-1 loss they suffered earlier in the campaign, when goals from Miranda and Mandzukic were enough to secure the points for Atletico.

Eibar:

Form in [League/Comp]: DLWWDL Form in all competitions: LLWWDL

Possible starting lineup: Irureta, Castellano, Boveda, Abraham, Berjon, Anibarro, Errasti, Garcia, Capa, Del Moral, Arruabarrena

Atletico:

Form in La Liga: LWWLWW Form in all competitions: LDWLWL

Possible starting lineup: Moya, Juanfran, Miranda, Gimenez, Siqueira, Tiago, Koke, Cani, Garcia, Griezmann, Mandzukic

Sports Mole says: 0-2