Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid face off in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday night. The fixture promises to bring a lot of drama. Let’s have a look at Atleti’s potential lineup!
Atletico Madrid are already in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, for their UEFA Super Cup fixture. A Madrid Derby against arch rivals Real Madrid will be contested to find out who the winner of the European Super Cup is. The Rojiblancos have already faced Los Blancos in the 2014 and 2016 UEFA Champions League finals, but this will be the first ever UEFA Super Cup that will see two teams from the same city face off.
Diego Simeone is suspended for this tie and will watch the match from the stands. The Argentinian boss is expected to field a strong lineup, though exceptions might be made in some cases.
Defence
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Jan Oblak is the obvious choice to take the place between the sticks. The Slovenian enjoyed a complete summer vacation after failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. He is fresh and having participated in the friendlies will start against Real Madrid.
The duo of Diego Godin and Stefan Savic is likely to be paired to play in the centre of defence. Godin, 32, went till the quarter finals with Uruguay but is back to full fitness now. Meanwhile, Montenegrin player Savic is in the fray after spending time with Atleti during the friendlies.
Juanfran missed a decisive penalty versus Madrid in the 2016 Champions League final and will be hungry for salvation. He will be El Cholo’s first choice right back for Wednesday. Lucas’ Hernandez joined training last Monday and played little in the friendly last weekend against Inter Milan. Lack of match fitness could see Filipe Luis get the nod ahead at left full back.
Midfield
Koke and Saul Niguez were part of Spain’s squad for the World Cup in Russia. However, a pre-mature exit by the Iberian country means that the duo is back to training with their club since a while now. They will be in strong contention to play in the centre of the park. Both the Spaniards are very vital to the Atletico Madrid side.
Rodri signed from Villarreal over the summer and has been with Atletico Madrid throughout the entire pre-season. Meanwhile, new signing Thomas Lemar cut his holidays short by nearly two weeks to link up with Atletico Madrid after the World Cup with France. The Spanish and French midfielders are strong contenders to make their debuts against Real Madrid.
Attack
Atletico Madrid boast a fabulous attack this season. Diego Costa is the best bet to place for featuring in one of the two positions up for grabs in the strikers’ department. Antoine Griezmann returned to training last Monday and only played 45 minutes versus Inter Milan on Saturday night. He could be a surprise omission while Nikola Kalinic, Atletico Madrid’s new signing from Fiorentina could be the beneficiary of the second starting spot.
Can this Atletico Madrid lineup finally get the better of Real Madrid on a big European night?