Spanish League: Atlético Madrid Likely to Stay at the Top


Atlético Madrid appears to be a strong contender to remain at the top as they visit their 16th-place neighbor, Leganés, on Saturday in the 20th round of the Spanish La Liga.


Atlético leads the standings, one point ahead of archrivals Real Madrid, the defending champions, and six points ahead of Barcelona. This comes after they achieved 15 consecutive wins across all competitions, including eight in La Liga.



The team, managed by Argentine coach Diego Simeone, enters the match in high spirits after reaching the Copa del Rey quarterfinals with a dominant 4-0 win over second-tier Elche, including a brace from Norwegian international striker Alexander Sørloth, who will miss the game due to a muscle injury.


The Leganés match will serve as a warm-up for Atlético ahead of their highly anticipated Tuesday clash against German Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen in the 7th round of the UEFA Champions League.


Atlético Madrid shares the 9th spot in their Champions League group with Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and AC Milan, all having 12 points, just one point behind 4th-placed Bayer Leverkusen. The top eight teams in the group will directly advance to the knockout stages.


The "Rojiblancos" have a strong squad, with Sørloth typically serving as a substitute under Simeone, who prefers compatriot Julián Álvarez and Frenchman Antoine Griezmann ahead of him.


Difficult Selection

On the other hand, Real Madrid hosts 14th-placed Las Palmas on Sunday. While injuries have affected Real Madrid's defense on several occasions, German Barcelona coach Hans Flick has relied on a younger squad. Atlético, however, has more room for rotation without losing quality.


Simeone rested several players in the last match against Elche on Wednesday, but his team won easily.


The Argentine coach said, "The players showed the work, humility, and persistence (they need), and each of them accepts their role in the team."


He added, "They make it difficult for me to choose between them." With Atlético striving to win their first-ever UEFA Champions League title, their rich squad allows them to compete on multiple fronts.


Simeone continued, "There are many matches, and there's no time to recover, so it's essential that everyone performs well."


Atlético Madrid has only suffered one defeat in La Liga this season, which came on October 27 against Real Betis (1-0) in the 11th round.


However, as usual, the Argentine coach hesitated to think too far beyond the near future for his team.


When asked if Atlético was invincible, he responded, "That word doesn't exist. We think about things match by match."


Meanwhile, Real Madrid is struggling to find the balance between defense and their star-studded attack, led by French international forward Kylian Mbappé, who has recently regained his form.


Mbappé scored a stunning goal against Barcelona, opening the scoring in his team's disastrous Super Cup final, and then gave them the lead in their hard-fought 5-2 extra-time victory over Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey.


His Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti said this week, "He needed time to adapt to the team to show his best physical form. Now he's at his best, and the team must make the most of that."


Real Madrid hosts Austrian side Salzburg on Wednesday in the continental competition, where they are trailing by four points from the 8th position, which secures direct qualification to the knockout stages. They are only two points ahead of 25th, which would see them eliminated.


**Step by Step**


Barcelona visits Getafe on Saturday, hoping to regain balance in La Liga, having won only one of their last seven matches, including three losses, the most recent being a 1-2 defeat at home to Atlético Madrid, which cost them the top spot and dropped them to 3rd, six points behind the capital's other giant.


The Catalan club enters the match boosted by their Super Cup victory over Real Madrid, winning 5-2 in the final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, followed by a big 5-1 win over Real Betis in the Copa del Rey Round of 16.


Their coach Flick said, "We are taking it step by step. Saturday is the next day. We want to play the same way, be prepared for the match, and win it too."


Like Atlético and Real Madrid, Barcelona also faces a continental competition match on Tuesday against Benfica in Portugal, followed by a home game against Atalanta on the 29th.


Barcelona is in a better position in the Champions League compared to Atlético and Real Madrid, occupying 2nd place with 15 points, three behind leaders Liverpool, who have a perfect record. Atlético is in 11th place with 12 points, and Real Madrid is in 20th with 9 points.