Preview: Atletico Madrid vs Espanyol - prediction, team news, lineups

Atletico Madrid will be aiming to avoid a third straight defeat in Spain's top flight when they resume their domestic campaign at home to Espanyol on Saturday.

Diego Simeone's side are currently fourth in the La Liga table, three points behind third-placed Villarreal, while Espanyol are sixth, 10 points behind their opponents this weekend.

Match preview

Atletico were in Champions League action on Wednesday night, drawing 3-3 with Club Brugge in the first leg of their knockout round playoff in Belgium, with that result following back-to-back defeats in Spain's top flight to Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano.

Simeone's team lost 3-0 to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga last time out, with the result leaving them fourth in the table, three points behind third-placed Villarreal.

The Red and Whites are only four points ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis in the fight to secure Champions League football for next season, and they have only been victorious in one of their last four matches in all competitions.

The success in question was a 4-0 win over Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, so Atletico are in an excellent spot to reach the final of the competition.

Simeone's side have again been in impressive form on home soil this season, picking up 31 points from 12 matches courtesy of a record of 10 wins, one draw and one defeat.

Espanyol, meanwhile, are having a strong domestic season, sitting sixth in the table, boasting a record of 10 wins, five draws and nine defeats from their 24 matches to collect 35 points.

The Catalan outfit are only one point ahead of seventh-placed Celta Vigo, though, and it would be fair to say that they are struggling for form at this stage of the season.

Indeed, Manolo Gonzalez's team have not been victorious since their last game of 2025, picking up only two points from their seven league matches in 2026.

Espanyol will enter this contest off the back of a 2-2 draw with Celta, but their last game on their travels ended in a 4-1 loss to Villarreal on February 9.

The White and Blues are looking to do a La Liga double over Atletico this season, having recorded a 2-1 victory when the pair locked horns in the reverse game in August 2025.

Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

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Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

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Espanyol La Liga form:

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Team News

Atletico will be without the services of Nico Gonzalez due to a muscular issue, while Pablo Barrios will be absent until the beginning of next month through injury.

Rodrigo Mendoza is also out of the match, having picked up a milestone booking in the team's three-goal defeat to Rayo Vallecano last time out.

There will be changes from the side that started against Club Brugge in the Champions League, with Clement Lenglet and Jose Gimenez potentially earning recalls at the back, while Alex Baena is also expected to be introduced into the starting XI.

Espanyol, meanwhile, remain without the services of long-term absentee Javi Puado.

Fernando Calero is also a doubt, but the visitors are otherwise in strong form, so head coach Gonzalez has a number of big decisions to make when it comes to team selection.

Kike Garcia's goal off the bench against Celta could lead to the experienced striker coming into the XI, while Tyrhys Dolan may be introduced into the side for the same reason.

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Llorente, Lenglet, Gimenez, Hancko; Simeone, Koke, Cardoso, Lookman; Baena; Alvarez

Espanyol possible starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Riedel, Cabrera, Romero; Lozano, Zarate; Dolan, Terrats, Milla; K Garcia

We say: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Espanyol

In seasons gone by, we would have fancied a low-scoring win for Atletico here, most likely 1-0, but the capital outfit's defence is far from secure at this moment in time, and we are expecting Espanyol to be good enough for a point on Saturday.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.