MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 09:26:48| >> :120:8131:8131:

Preview: Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid

Sports Mole previews the match between Atletico Madrid and Espanyol in La Liga.

Atletico Madrid will be hoping to put last weekend's disappointing draw with Valencia behind them when they travel to Espanyol in La Liga this week.

The Spanish champions led for much of the match against their top-four rivals last Sunday, but a late equaliser cost Atletico the chance to close the gap to the top two.

Diego Simeone's side now sit six points behind local rivals Real Madrid, and seven adrift of new league leaders Barcelona, who have a much better goal difference.

Atletico's form has been patchy recently, with just one win from their last four league outings but just one defeat in their last eight.

Guilherme Siqueira will be missing again as he was booked last time out on his return from suspension for a sending-off against Almeria last month, while Mario Mandzukic also misses out after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Valencia.

Saul Niguez is continuing to recover from a blow to the kidneys which left him in hospital last month, but Arda Turan should be available after making his first start since injuring his hamstring in February in last Sunday's clash.

Meanwhile, Espanyol will be hoping to cement their place in the top half of the table as they push for their third win in five matches in the Spanish top flight.

The Catalan side, who currently sit 10th, missed the chance to move as high as eighth last weekend as they slipped to a narrow defeat to Real Sociedad, who are now just two points behind them.

Goalscoring has been a problem for Sergio Gonzalez's side recently, with the team averaging just a goal a game in their last five outings. Top scorer Christian Stuani has not found the back of the net since February.

Jose Canas, who recently returned from a hamstring injury, was rested last weekend, but could return for the visit of the champions. However, defender Juan Fuentes has been listed as a doubt.

When the teams met at Vicente Calderon earlier in the season, the home side secured a 2-0 victory.

Espanyol:

Form in La Liga: LLWLWL
Form in all competitions: DLWWLL

Possible starting lineup: Casilla, Morena, Alvari, Arvilla, Duarte, Canas, Gonzalez, Lopez, Lucas, Garcia, Stuani

Atletico Madrid:

Form in La Liga: WWLWDD
Form in all competitions: WLWLDD

Possible starting lineup: Moya, Godin, Hernandez, Juanfran, Gimenez, Tiago, Koke, Turan, Gabi, Garcia, Torres

Sports Mole says: 0-2


ID:210808: cacheID:210808:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5159:
Written by
Sian Cowper
No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Atletico Madrid's Portuguese midfielder Tiago (L) is given the red card from Czech referee Pavel Kralovec during the UEFA Champions League first-leg, round of 16 football match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on February 25, 2015
Read Next:
Match Analysis: Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Atletico Madrid
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona17122350193138
2Real Madrid16113234132136
3Atletico MadridAtletico16105130111935
4Athletic Bilbao1795326151132
5Villarreal157532725226
6Real Sociedad167361611524
7Osasuna166642225-324
8Mallorca177371620-424
9GironaGirona166462223-122
10Celta Vigo166372527-221
11Real BetisBetis165651820-221
12Rayo Vallecano155461516-119
13Sevilla165471723-619
14Las PalmasLas Palmas165382227-518
15Getafe163761113-216
16AlavesAlaves164391827-915
17Leganes163671423-915
18Espanyol1541101528-1313
19Real ValladolidValladolid1733111234-2212
20Valencia152491323-1010


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!