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

Atletico Madrid will be aiming to make it six straight wins in all competitions when they head to Espanyol in Spain's top flight on Saturday afternoon.

Diego Simeone's side are currently second in the La Liga table, boasting 19 points from their opening eight matches of the season, while Espanyol are 12th in the division on eight points.

Match preview

Espanyol have a record of two wins, two draws and four defeats from their opening eight league matches of the season, with eight points leaving them in 12th spot in the division.

Manolo Gonzalez's side will enter this match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Malaga, and a disappointing run of form has seen them pick up just one point from their last three matches.

The White and Blues finished 11th in Spain's top flight last season, but their form in the first half of the campaign was excellent, having the look of a potential Champions League outfit.

Espanyol have won 54 of their previous 187 matches against Atletico in all competitions, suffering 97 defeats in the process, while there have also been 36 draws.

The Catalan outfit recorded a 2-1 win over Atletico in the corresponding game last term.

Atletico have actually only won one of their last six matches against Espanyol, with four of those meetings finishing level, so it has been a struggle for the Red and Whites in this fixture of late.

That said, Simeone's team will enter this game full of confidence, having been victorious in each of their last five matches in all competitions, including a 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The Red and Whites have won their last four in the league against Real Sociedad, Osasuna, Real Madrid and Alaves, with that run of form leaving them in second spot in the table.

Atletico are on 19 points from eight matches, which has left them five points behind the leaders Barcelona.

The capital giants certainly look capable of launching a title challenge this season, and they will be looking for four more victories before the end of the month, facing Espanyol, Deportivo La Coruna and Levante in the league, in addition to Stuttgart in the Champions League.

Espanyol La Liga form:

Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

Team News

Espanyol are once again expected to be missing Jofre Carreras and Kike Garcia through injury for Saturday's La Liga fixture with Simeone's side.

Roberto Fernandez has been in excellent form this season, scoring six goals in eight appearances, and the 24-year-old will continue in the final third of the field.

There are not expected to be any surprises in the Espanyol XI on Saturday, with Bryan Zaragoza also set to retain his spot in an attacking area.

Atletico currently have no injury concerns, while there could be a return to the squad for Koke, who missed out against Man United on Tuesday following the death of his mother.

Jonathan David and Ademola Lookman both impressed off the bench against Man United and are options to come into the side, but Julian Alvarez should retain his spot despite the fact that the Argentina international is struggling for form this season.

Pablo Barrios was a standout performer against Man United and should also retain his spot, while Alex Baena is set to be a notable starter in a wide area.

Espanyol possible starting lineup:

Fortuno; El Hilali, Riedel, Cabrera, Hartman; Lozano, Exposito; Dolan, Hernandez, Zaragoza; Fernandez

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Llorente, Romero, Hancko, Grimaldo; Simeone, Barrios, Cardoso, Baena; Lee, Alvarez

We say: Espanyol 1-2 Atletico Madrid

Espanyol are capable of making this a tough match for Atletico, but Simeone's side are in excellent form at this moment in time, and we are backing an away success in this contest.

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