LaLiga is about to begin for Atlético de Madrid . It will be at the Estadio de la Cerámica where the exciting season for the colchoneros will begin after a long summer. For this reason, Simeone has been working this last week to outline what will be the first eleven of the season, which will also have a great novelty.
On Saturday morning, two days before the league opener, the Argentine coach has tried out the same players who were previously considered to be the starters. Jan Oblak , who has fully recovered from his muscle problems after the Euro Cup, will defend the Atléticode Madrid goal. Moldovan , after being Simeone 's first choice goalkeeper during the preseason, will once again be left on the bench awaiting a new opportunity.
In defence, everything is going as planned with Robin Le Normand , Axel Witsel and César Azpilicueta as the chosen ones. The Spanish-Frenchman will make his debut in the League with the red and white colours as a left centre-back, in principle, occupying Mario Hermoso 's place. On the other hand, the veterans will continue to be positioned in the centre in the case of the Belgian, and on the right in the case of the Spaniard.
Reinildo, the big news
It is on the wings where we find the most notable news of the eleven that Diego Pablo Simeone is preparing for Villarreal . And that is that Reinildo Mandava will occupy the left flank in place of Samu Lino , who will move up to the attacking midfield. The Mozambican, who seemed like he was going to have certain complications in regaining Cholo 's confidence, will have a new opportunity on the first day.
A change that leaves Rodrigo Riquelme as the main affected, as he has two players ahead of him who have occupied the two positions in which he has played in preseason. It was against Numancia , for example, where the Spaniard played as a midfielder, where he scored the only goal for the red-and-whites. On the other hand, against Juventus , he played as a wing-back and suffered in the attacks of Timothy Weah and company, being one of the weakest pieces of the team in that match.
All this while his future remains up in the air, as Rodrigo Riquelme has not yet finalised his future. In fact, a few days ago, in an interview with AS, he said, when talking about his future, that "you never know in football. I am focused on the pre-season, I don't want to think about anything other than the day to day, just enjoying my teammates and my home."
At EstoesAtleti we reported exclusively last Wednesday that Rodrigo Riquelme had received a great offer from Roma , who are looking for a replacement for Dybala . And it is not the first time that the Italian team has been interested in the young Atléticode Madrid youth player, as he is a player that De Rossi likes a lot. For the moment, the Madrid native is still a player for the Colchonero club, but his evolution must be closely followed during the transfer market.
The rest of the headlines
Finally, along with Reinildo on the left wing, Marcos Llorente will occupy the right wing while Nahuel continues with his preparation after the holidays. In the midfield, Koke and Pablo Barrios are expected to be there, pure Atlético DNA. As attacking midfielders, Samuel Lino will accompany Antoine Griezmann , who is looking to recover his best form after a very complicated Euro Cup .
And up top, as the most advanced player and reference in attack, Alexander Sorloth . It will be a very special match for the Norwegian, as he will not only face his former team, but will also step foot in the stadium where he was very close to achieving the top scorer. In this way, players like Julián Alavarez , Samu Omorodion , Joao Félix and company will have to wait from the bench for their opportunity.