Tonight, Atlético de Madrid will make its long-awaited debut in the league championship against Villarreal at La Cerámica. The red-and-white team faces this first day of the tournament with three new faces in its squad and some doubts about the starting lineup that will take to the field. Simeone has had very few new players during the preseason due to the international tournaments and the signings that arrived late.
Obviously, the transfer market is not over yet and some moves are still expected at Atlético de Madrid. In the meantime, the Argentine coach could bet on two important changes to get the three points against the Yellow Submarine . Before the transfer window closes, Atlético de Madrid will have to face four very important matches to gain confidence.
Reinildo, the big surprise
Over the past week, Simeone has practiced on numerous occasions with the Mozambican in defence. Currently, one of Atlético de Madrid 's priorities is to be able to incorporate a centre-back for the left-footed profile of their defence. In the meantime, César Azpilicueta will be the one to occupy that position with Reinildo acting as a wing-back , where he has played some games.
In this case, the injured party would be Samuel Lino , who would have to start from a more advanced position than usual. Last season, the Brazilian was already rotating positions with Riquelme , who also played on several occasions as a left extrem. On the other hand, in the midfield there could also be another surprise compared to what was seen during the last preseason .
Pablo Barrios takes the lead
In the midfield, Simeone is reportedly considering giving the youth player a starting role in place of Rodrigo de Paul . Pablo Barrios has been a great player this summer, being a key player in the Spanish national team during the Paris Olympics . He would be placed alongside Koke in the double pivot, a position he has been adapting to since last season.
In this way, it would be Rodrigo de Paul who would have to start the match from the bench , despite being a starter in the last friendly. The Argentine returned to training before Pablo Barrios , but Atlético de Madrid has many expectations of the Spaniard. The rest of the starting team would be made up of the usual players who have had minutes during this preseason .
Simeone bets on the usual suspects
Jan Oblak would return to being the starting goalkeeper after missing all the friendlies, guarded in defence by Marcos Llorente , Robin Le Normand , Axel Witsel , César Azpilicueta and Reinildo . The attacking zone would be formed by Antoine Griezmann and Alexander Sorloth , with Samuel Lino in the attacking midfield position. Julián Álvarez will also be waiting for his chance on the bench, who is expected to get some minutes today against Villarreal .