Atletico Madrid face CA Osasuna on Wednesday at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium looking to add another three points at home. The match, for the sixth round of La Liga, comes after a convincing 0-3 away win against Real Sociedad last weekend.
Manager Diego Simeone will have to deal with several significant absences in his squad. The club's medical report confirms the unavailability of forwards Alexander Sørloth and Julián Álvarez, both with muscle injuries and not expected back before September 30. Midfielder Pablo Barrios is also out with the same issue, with a return scheduled for September 26.
Current form
The victory at the Reale Arena provided relief after two consecutive defeats, against Liverpool in the Champions League and Athletic Club in the league. In that match, the goals came late through an Álex Grimaldo penalty and finishes from Jonathan David and Giuliano Simeone. This result leaves the team in fifth place in the table, with 10 points from a possible 15 and five behind leaders Barcelona.
Álex Baena, with three goals in five appearances, is the team's top scorer this season and will be a key piece in attack. Osasuna arrive after a home loss to Espanyol (0-2) and sit in eleventh place. The Navarrese side also have injuries to players like Aimar Oroz, Jorge Herrando and Moi Gómez.
The precedent and the lineup
In the last meeting between the two at the Metropolitano, last October, Atletico won 1-0. Simeone could repeat the three-midfielder system that worked in San Sebastián, with Hjulmand, Llorente and Baena supporting Lookman. The defense, with Pubill, Romero and Hancko, will aim to maintain the solidity shown away from home.
The match kicks off this Wednesday, September 16, at 19:00 local time. A win would allow Atletico to close in on the top positions before their next fixture. All information on the available squad is in our squad section.
