Four points from the first two La Liga rounds are not bad, but Barcelona had already collected nine, putting the pressure on Atletico Madrid to defeat Espanyol tonight (22.30) and Diego Simeone won’t settle for anything less than a victory. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, El Cholo said his motivation was as high as always ahead of the new season, touching on the rotations in the starting lineup and the squad in general.The squad list for Atleti vs Espanyol 👇 pic.twitter.com/TNVL9kHlot— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 28, 2024 “It is impossible for anyone to ask me for more than what I ask for. I think the squad we are putting together is having a good balance, I don’t judge it because it will be what happens, not what we imagine. We will manage according to how we see them, sometimes it is better to rotate and other times to keep the team, but the most important game is always the next one, in this case Espanyol, who did very well against Real,” stated the Argentinian.Not almost – but Olmo’s perfect debut!When it comes to starters and the rotations mentioned above, the scorer against Girona, Antoine Griezmann, could start the game on the bench, while the four newcomers – Robin Le Normand, Conor Gallagher, Alexander Sorloth, and Julian Alvarez – could all find their place in the starting 11. Atletico are undefeated against tonight’s rival since May 2019. Still, both last season’s clashes between Los Colchoneros and Espanyol ended in a draw. The club from Barcelona opened the season with two 1-0 losses against Valladolid and Real Sociedad, which makes Atletico firm favourites.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 3MondayVillareal – Celta 4-3 (1-2)/Cardone 26, Barry 60, Jailson 64(og), Parejo 90+10 – Iglesias 12, Minqueza 31, Starfelt 80)TuesdayMallorca – Sevilla 0-0Rayo Vallecano – Barcelona 1-2 (1-0)/Lopez 9 – Pedri 60, Olmo 82/WednesdayBetis – Getafe POSTPONED due to coinciding with the Conference League play-off20:00: (1.62) Ath.Bilbao (3.70) Valencia (6.00)20:00: (2.40) Valladolid (3.20) Leganes (3.40)22:30: (1.70) Sociedad (3.50) Alaves (5.50)22:30: (1.35) Atl.Madrid (4.90) Espanyol (9.50)Thursday20:00: (1.75) Girona (3.70) Osasuna (5.40)22:30: (7.50) Las Palmas (4.60) Real Madrid (1.42)***odds are subject to change***
