Atletico Madrid will be bidding to triumph for the first time in over a month when they continue their La Liga campaign with a clash against Sevilla at Estadio Ramon on Sunday afternoon.
Diego Simeone's side have seen their title hopes fade of late, currently sitting third in the La Liga table, nine points off the leaders Barcelona, while Sevilla occupy 11th, 11 points off rivals Real Betis in sixth position.
Match preview
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Sevilla were beaten 2-1 by Real Betis in the Seville derby last weekend, which made it back-to-back losses in Spain's top flight, having also suffered a 1-0 reverse to Athletic Bilbao on home soil before the March international break.
Garcia Pimienta's side had been in strong form ahead of their contests with Athletic and Real Betis either side of the international fixtures, but they will now be looking to avoid a third straight defeat on Sunday afternoon.
Los Nervionenses finished 14th in Spain's top flight last season, which proved to be their worst spot in La Liga since being relegated in 2000, while they currently sit up in 11th position in the table.
Sevilla have nine wins, nine draws and 11 defeats from their 29 league matches to collect 36 points, which has left them only two points clear of 14th-placed Osasuna, while they are 11 points off sixth-placed Real Betis in the battle for Europe.
The 1945-46 La Liga champions have picked up 19 points from their 14 home league matches this season, while Atletico have 23 points to show from their 14 away games during the 2024-25 campaign.
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Atletico's season has collapsed in recent weeks, being knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid on penalties, before losing 5-4 on aggregate to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, with the second leg taking place on Wednesday night.
Ferran Torres' goal proved to be enough for Barcelona to advance to the final, and Atletico's La Liga title challenge has also evaporated, having picked up just one point from their last three matches, including a 4-2 defeat to Barcelona on March 16.
Simeone's side are now nine points behind leaders Barcelona and six from Real Madrid in second, so it is going to be incredibly difficult for the Red and Whites to pull themselves back into title contention at this stage.
Atletico have not triumphed since the start of March against Athletic Bilbao, but with a fixture list that now only includes league matches, they will be bidding to put another long winning run together.
The capital side actually lost 1-0 to Sevilla in the corresponding match during the 2023-24 campaign, but they recorded a 4-3 victory when the two teams locked horns at Wanda Metropolitano in La Liga earlier this season.
Team News
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Sevilla will welcome both Lucien Agoume and Djibril Sow back into their squad on Sunday, with the pair missing out against Real Betis last time out due to suspensions, but Tanguy Nianzou remains a fitness doubt.
Head coach Pimienta is expected to resist the temptation to make wholesale changes, but it is likely that Agoume and Sow will both be back in midfield, while Isaac Romero is set to operate as the centre-forward.
Dodi Lukebakio has had a strong campaign for Sevilla, scoring 11 times in Spain's top flight, and there will be a spot in a wide area for the 27-year-old.
As for Atletico, Jose Gimenez and Angel Correa will both miss out due to suspensions, but the Red and Whites have not reported any fitness concerns ahead of the contest at Estadio Ramon.
Jan Oblak will be back in goal, having stepped aside for Juan Musso in the Copa del Rey, while Javi Galan and Clement Lenglet are also likely to be introduced into the side on Sunday.
Nahuel Molina and Alexander Sorloth are pushing for spots in the XI, meanwhile, with head coach Simeone expected to make a number of changes to the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Barcelona.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Nyland; Carmona, Bade, Salas, Pedrosa; Agoume, Sow, Lokonga; Lukebakio, Romero, Vargas
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Molina; Le Normand, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Lino; Sorloth, Alvarez
We say: Sevilla 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Atletico lost at Estadio Ramon last season, and Simeone's side will enter this match in disappointing form; Atletico are due a positive result, though, and we are backing the capital giants to navigate their way to all three points this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
