With Spanish champions Actual Madrid and their arch-rivals Barcelona in Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Tremendous Cup, Atletico Madrid’s sights are firmly set on prime spot in La Liga.
Diego Simeone’s facet have gained 13 video games straight throughout all competitions and a victory in opposition to guests Osasuna on Sunday would take them away from Los Blancos by some extent on the midway mark of the league marketing campaign.
One other triumph would hoist them six factors away from Barcelona, who led the desk for a lot of the primary half of the season earlier than a hunch in November and December.
The one time Atletico have managed to complete as ‘winter champions’ in Simeone’s reign was within the 2021-22 season, once they went on to win the title.
Their run of successful kind is the joint finest within the membership’s historical past, together with an equivalent stretch in 2012 comparatively early in Simeone’s tenure.
The Rojiblancos have misplaced only one sport within the prime flight all season, in opposition to Actual Betis in October, and since then have soared.
Atletico have gained seven straight video games in La Liga, preserving 4 clear sheets and scoring 17 targets whereas conceding solely 5.
Argentine midifelder De Paul has been a vital a part of Atletico’s surge in kind.
The 30-year-old is in in fantastic goalscoring fettle, with three strikes in his final 4 prime flight video games, together with within the dramatic 2-1 win over title rivals Barcelona earlier than the winter break.
In assault Simeone has a bunch of choices with Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez seemingly his most popular strike pressure, with Alexander Sorloth recurrently making a big impact from the bench.
The Norwegian hitman struck the winner in opposition to Barcelona and is the crew’s prime scorer with eight league targets regardless of beginning simply seven video games.
“The crew has been rising, some video games it is performed higher and others have been tougher — we have to maintain enhancing,” mentioned Simeone after the winter break.
The coach is notoriously reluctant to muse on his crew’s title possibilities and insists on focussing sport by sport.
Osasuna, tenth, are not any pushovers and will change their system to try to stifle Simeone’s red-hot Atletico, switching to a five-man defence.
Elsewhere Actual Sociedad welcome Villarreal on Monday in an fascinating battle between two high-calibre sides.
Villarreal, fifth, are one of many division’s most entertaining sides however have struggled to defend, conceding 30 targets — greater than another facet within the prime 15.
Actual Sociedad, seventh, will fancy their possibilities of taking three factors and reducing the hole to the edges above them after a gradual begin to the season.
Participant to observe: Javi Puado
Espanyol tackle Leganes in a conflict which might show important in each side’ bid to keep away from relegation. Puado is Espanyol’s key attacking risk, their prime scorer with six targets in La Liga, and after 5 video games with out victory throughout all competitions, the Pericos are determined to say all three factors at house on Saturday.
Key stats
2 – Relegation battling Valencia netted two targets within the first half of a sport for the primary time this season within the Copa del Rey this week
10 – Osasuna’s Ante Budimir is behind solely Barcelona duo Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha for targets
18 – league clear sheets stored by Actual Sociedad in 2024, the joint-third highest in Europe’s huge 5 leagues
Fixtures
Friday (all occasions GMT)
Rayo Vallecano v Celta Vigo (2000)
Saturday
Alaves v Girona (1300), Valladolid v Actual Betis (1515), Espanyol v Leganes (1730), Sevilla v Valencia (2000)
Sunday
Las Palmas v Getafe (1300), Atletico Madrid v Osasuna (1515)
Monday
Actual Sociedad v Villarreal (2000)
rbs/nr
