Preview: Lugo vs. Atletico Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Lugo will aim to provide a major upset in the Copa del Rey when they play host to La Liga side Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

The visitors do head into the game on the back of a defeat though, giving them plenty of room for improvement at the weekend.

Match preview

The odds are firmly stacked against third-tier Lugo heading into Sunday's Copa del Rey round-of-32 encounter, as the Primera Federacion side look to claim the scalp of a La Liga giant in Atletico Madrid.

However, they have already featured in the competition twice and showcased quality in both of the previous rounds, and they are yet to concede a goal.

Lugo won their first match 1-0, and then stepped up with a 2-0 victory in the following round, but while their defensive performances are strong, they might require a stronger attacking display this weekend.

The club finds itself in the top half of the Primera Federacion at the moment, and that should give them some confidence for this fixture.

However, Paulo Alves will want to see an improved performance from his men as they do head into this match on the back of three games without a victory.

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Atletico Madrid will also be looking to get back to winning ways this weekend, as they were beaten by Girona in midweek despite Alvaro Morata scoring a hat-trick.

Conceding four goals will give hope to Lugo heading into this weekend, with Diego Simeone wanting to see more defensive quality in this particular match.

Saturday marks Atletico Madrid's first match in the competition this season, and failing at the first hurdle is something that will not be acceptable to their fans.

Despite the recent defeat, Simeone's men do find themselves third in La Liga, being one of the strongest teams in the division so far which should bring plenty of confidence into this match.

Atletico Madrid have been strong offensively this season, and in knockout football that will no doubt prove to be important in their bid to find a place in the next round.

Team News

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The hosts will be heading into the match with a fully fit squad, which will provide a real boost to Alves as he has all of the potential options at his disposal.

Leonardo Antonetti found the back to the net in the previous round, and it is expected that he will be leading the line once again this weekend.

While Simeone might have taken this as a game to rest some players due to their upcoming match against Real Madrid, he will be wanting an immediate response to the defeat in midweek which could see a strong team be displayed.

Opportunities should be provided to the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta and Saul Niguez, bringing their experience into the starting lineup this weekend.

The visitors are dealing with a couple of injuries at the moment, though, with Pablo Barrios and Thomas Lemar both expected to miss out here.

Lugo possible starting lineup:

Tabuaco; Louis-Jean, Perez, Castrin, Lopez; Aguza, Abdulai; Narro, Antonin, Aranda; Antonetti

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Llorente, Azpilicueta, Gimenez, Hermoso, Lino; Niguez, Witsel, De Paul; Griezmann, Morata

We say: Lugo 0-3 Atletico Madrid

Lugo have showcased great defensive performances so far in the Copa del Rey, but that is going to be tested to the maximum on Saturday.

Ultimately, the attacking quality of Atletico Madrid should be too much for their opponents, with the La Liga side expected to go through comfortably.

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