Atletico Madrid will be eyeing their third straight win in La Liga when they hit the road to square up against a Las Palmas side, who are fighting for survival in the Spanish top flight.
The home team are 18th on the table with just 29 points in their 31 outings. UD Las Palmas are just a point behind 17th-placed Deportivo Alaves, and avoiding defeat here could go a long way in helping them stay up.
Las Palmas secured a massive 3-1 win over midtable Getafe in their last outing. A first-half red card pushed Getafe onto the back foot and Diego Martínez’s team made the most out of it in the second half. Having secured a win last time out, they will be eager to build on it.
Meanwhile, the visitors are third on the table with 63 points in their 31 outings. Los Rojiblancos are seven points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, and only a miracle can bring them back in the title race. Finishing top four won’t be a problem for them as they are 12 points ahead of fifth-placed Villarreal, who have a game in hand.
Diego Simeone’s team will only be focused on finishing the season on a high. They have won their last two league outings and will be eager to make it three in a row. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
The home team remain without the services of Benito Ramirez, Jasper Cillessen, and Kirian Rodriguez. There are high chances of Diego Martinez sticking with a similar look XI that started in their last outing.
He will certainly stick to the 4-4-2 formation, where Dinko Horkas will be in goal. Marvin Park and Mika Marmol will feature as the full-backs, while Alex Suarez will partner with Scott McKenna in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Javier Munoz and Sandro will feature on the flanks providing width to their attacks and support to the full-backs. Stefan Bajcetic and Dario Essugo will take up a more central role, they will look to ensure Atletico midfielders do not dominate the proceedings. In attack, Oli McBurnie will start alongside Fbio Silva, who bagged a brace in their last outing.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Horkas; Park, Suarez, McKenna, Marmol; Munoz, Bajcetic, Essugo, Sandro; McBurnie, F Silva
Angel Correa remains suspended, while Samuel Lino and Rodrigo De Paul are out injured. Atletico Madrid did not report any fresh injury concerns this week, which means Diego Simeone could stick with the same XI that started in their last outing.
The visitors will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Jan Oblak will take charge in between the sticks. Marcos Llorente and Javi Galan will be the full-backs, while Jose Gimenez will partner with Clement Lenglet in central defence.
Giuliano Simeone and Conor Gallagher should feature on the flanks in midfield, while Pablo Barrios and Koke should continue in a more central role. The midfield quartet will look to ensure they dominate the ball and control the pace of the game. While Alexander Sorloth is pushing for a place in the starting XI, Simeone could still stick with Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, Barrios, Koke, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez
Alvarez made a big money move to Atletico Madrid last summer. While he did not have the best of starts to life as an Atletico Madrid player, the Argentine World Cup winner has slowly managed to bring out his best at the Spanish club. Alvarez has featured in a total of 48 matches, and he has contributed towards 31 goals (26 goals, 5 assists).
The 25-year-old has been a go-to man for Diego Simeone up top and he averages a goal every 124 minutes in his debut campaign, a stat which proves he has been a great addition to their ranks. The Argentine manager will hope, Alvarez finishes the season on a high starting with the game against Las Palmas.
Atletico Madrid will certainly be the favourites as they are heading into this fixture on the back of consecutive wins. While Las Palmas will be riding high on confidence following their 3-1 win over Getafe, facing a side like Atletico Madrid could prove to be a difficult challenge.
Despite their struggles on the road in recent weeks, the visitors should still have enough firepower to see this one through. Julian Alvarez has been in fine form and, alongside Griezmann, should be able to trouble a vulnerable Las Palmas backline. While the hosts might put up a fight, Atletico’s experience and quality should help them grind out a win. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the away team.
