In-form Atletico Madrid welcome Oviedo to the Metropolitano on Saturday in a 9:00pm local kick-off.
Atlético (8-4-1, 28 points) is entering this match on a six-game winning streak in all competitions, and the Rojiblancos are unbeaten in their last twelve outings in La Liga. After a dramatic and intense performance in midweek’s Champions League match, where Jose Maria Jimenez scored to give Atletico victory, Diego Simeone’s side will be favorites heading into their first top-flight meeting with Oviedo in more than 25 years. With wins and favorable results elsewhere, Atlético can move up to second place ahead of tougher games in December.
Newly promoted Oviedo (2-3-8, 9 points) has not won in any competition since September 30 against Valencia. The Asturian club notably suffered a Copa del Rey defeat to third-tier Ourense. All told, a return to top-flight football has been far from a dream for Los Azules.
Scoring has been a big issue for Oviedo, with a total of seven goals this season, three of which came in a single match against Verona last month. In LaLiga, Los Godos have already been held scoreless nine times. New signings David Carmo and Javi López, from Nottingham Forest and Real Sociedad respectively, have performed respectably in defense so far, while Aaron Escandel has been one of the competition’s best goalkeepers so far.
Atletico will be without the services of Robin Le Normand and Marcos Llorente on Saturday. Some positive news on that front is that both Le Normand and Jan Oblak are back training with the team, and Oblak has a chance to play after a two-game absence.
However Simeone should be able to confidently turn to Juan Musso – who impressed in midweek – in place of the six-time Zamora Trophy winner – who may be rested for the midweek trip to Barcelona.
The right-back position remains a question mark. Nahuel Molina’s current form doesn’t really justify significant minutes; Marc Pabil, who came on in the second half of the match against Inter Milan, looked very comfortable on the right. Combine this with Giuliano Simeone’s constant tracking back and defensive support, and you have the makings of a strong partnership on that flank.
Another area that is in question is the left hand. Matteo Ruggeri looked solid in his minutes, and Nico Gonzalez also looked mostly competent defensively against Inter. What is missing from the attacking formula is a legitimate, consistent threat to put pressure on the opposition’s right wing.
Both Thiago Almada and Alex Baena are still playing their best roles in this team. Baena has appeared throughout the midfield line and partnered with Julián Álvarez at times; Almada has been tried as a makeshift winger and an attacking midfielder, but has not played in the last two matches. This would be the perfect match for them to take charge of things in the final third.
Possible 11: Musso; Pabil, Jimenez, Hanko, Ruggeri; Cardoso, Barrios, Almada, Giuliano; Bena, Sorloth.
Atlético de Madrid’s all-time record against Real Oviedo in La Liga is 32-17-23. In their last 10 league meetings, Atlético have recorded a 5–3–2 record against Oviedo; However, don’t read too much into that statistic, as the club last appeared in LaLiga during the 1999/00 season, one of the darkest years in the club’s history.
The match in question, held on 7 May 2000, ended in a 2–2 draw, with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Joan Capdevila scoring two late goals. But they were unable to prevent Atlético from suffering relegation that day.
Most recently, the clubs faced each other in the Copa del Rey round of 32 in January 2023. Atlético, wearing a hideous red and white wavy home shirt, won 2–0 at Oviedo thanks to goals from Llorente and Pablo Barrios.
Notable players who have represented both clubs
Club legends Luis Aragonés, Radomir Antic, Horaciu Moldovan (something like this), Ibrahima Balde and Borja Baston.
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