Atletico Madrid will be aiming to close the gap on the La Liga leaders when they face off against Sporting Gijon in their clash on Sunday.
Diego Simeone's men will be determined to get back to winning ways after failing to beat Astana in their Champions League match.
Atletico Madrid
© Getty Images
Atletico were unable to find a breakthrough in their Champions League clash in Kazakhstan during the week, and Simeone and his team faced a long trip back to Spain with only a point to show for their journey.
The club will now turn their focus back to the league where they currently reside in fifth place after 10 matches this season, four points off the pace of leaders Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Madrid are currently on a four-match unbeaten run in La Liga, with their last defeat coming at the hands of Villarreal in September. Since then, the team have recorded victories over Real Sociedad and Valencia, and have drawn against Real and Deportivo last time out.
The form of Antoine Griezmann has helped Atletico's strong start to the campaign as the Frenchman has notched four of his side's 15 goals this season. Meanwhile, Jackson Martinez and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco have also been a threat in the final third.
Simeone's men have been solid at the back, conceding just six goals over the course of the campaign by keeping six clean sheets. However, Atletico have just had one shutout in their last five matches.
Madrid have dropped just five points at home this season, stemming from their defeat to Barcelona and their draw against Real. However, they put in an impressive display in their victory over Valencia in their last clash at the Vicente Calderon Stadium, and will be eyeing another victory against Gijon.
Recent form: WLDWWD
Recent form (all competitions): DWWWDD
Sporting Gijon
© Getty Images
Sporting Gijon moved five points clear of the relegation zone following their 1-0 win over Malaga in their last outing as Alen Halilovic's goal proved to be enough to secure the three points.
The victory was the club's third of the season and has eased their early struggles as they won just one of their opening six matches, losing three of the clashes to Valencia, Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis.
However, since the end of September, Abelardo's men have lost just once in their defeat to Athletic Bilbao, but they have taken maximum points from their games against Malaga and Espanyol.
Gijon have just averaged a goal a game this season, but have relied heavily on Halilovic along with Alex Menendez to fire in front of the net as they are the club's leading scorers with two strikes apiece.
Defensively the team have been in the middle of the pack, conceding 14 goals in their 10 matches. However, their clean sheet against Malaga was their first since August in their goalless draw against Real Sociedad.
Gijon have been stronger on their travels than they have been at home this season, claiming seven of their 12 points from their away trips. However, Abelardo and his men will know that they will have to raise the level of their game for their clash against Atletico.
Recent form: LLWDLW
Team News
© Getty Images
Simeone is in the fortunate position of having no injury worries ahead of the match, meaning that he has a fully fit squad to choose from for Sunday's match.
However, their exploits in the Champions League in midweek along with the travel to Kazakhstan may prompt the Argentine to make changes to his starting lineup for the clash.
Ferreira Carrasco and Martinez are candidates to return to the lineup after starting on the bench in midweek, while Luciano Vietto may also come into contention after recovering from injury. Oliver Torres and Filipe Luis are also pushing for recalls to the side.
Nacho Cases will be available for Gijon after completing a one-match suspension and is expected to return to the lineup.
However, defender Roberto Canella has been ruled out of action due to injury, with Isma Lopez in line to replace him at left-back. Meanwhile, Omar Mascarell should continue in the midfield alongside Sergio Alvarez.
Atletico possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Juanfran, Gimenez, Godin, Luis; Koke, Tiago, Gabi; Ferreira Carrasco, Martinez, Griezmann
Gijon possible starting lineup:
Cuellar; Lora, Bernardo, Hernandez, Lopez; Alvarez, Mascarell; Halilovic, Cases, Jony; Guerrero
Head To Head
Atletio have dominated the fixture between the two sides over the course of history, winning 14 of the 18 contests. Gijon have claimed just one victory, which occurred in the 2010-11 season, while three of the matches have ended in draws.
The teams played out a 1-1 draw in their last meeting in the 2011-12 season, but in their last clash at the Vicente Calderon Atletico cruised to a 4-0 win as a brace from Radamel Falcao fired his side to the three points.
We say: Atletico Madrid 3-0 Sporting Gijon
Atletico have been strong at home throughout the campaign and will continue their unbeaten run in La Liga by securing a victory over Gijon due to their quality in the final third of the pitch.
Simon Sinclair
