Atlético Madrid vs Athletic Club: Early Season Showdown

Atlético Madrid head to San Mamés on Saturday evening carrying early-season momentum and a familiar edge. Three games into their La Liga campaign, Diego Simeone’s side sit third, unbeaten, and already looking like themselves again.

Seven points from nine. Seven goals scored, three conceded. The numbers tell a clean story, but the path here has had a bit more bite.

They opened with a controlled 2-0 win over Málaga CF at the Metropolitano, a routine victory that settled any early nerves. Then came a more chaotic 2-2 draw with Villarreal CF, a reminder that this revamped Atlético side is willing to trade punches when the game stretches. The statement result arrived last time out: a sharp, clinical 3-1 win away to Sevilla FC that underlined their threat on the road.

Now comes San Mamés, a different kind of test.

Atlético news: Álvarez back, Sørloth out, David ready

Simeone travels to Bilbao with a largely healthy squad and one major subplot finally put to bed.

Julián Álvarez, at the centre of a summer filled with rumours about a move to Barcelona, is back in the matchday group. Illness kept him out of recent sessions and fuelled talk of an exit, but he has completed full training this week and is available for selection. The noise around his future has quietened; the focus returns to what he can do on the pitch.

Up front, though, Atlético remain without their main centre-forward. Alexander Sørloth is still recovering from the muscle injury he picked up in mid-August and will not feature. Midfielder Obed Vargas also stays on the sidelines.

There is fresh firepower waiting in the wings. Late-window loan signing Jonathan David has been named in the squad and could make his first appearance in La Liga. For a side already scoring freely, his introduction offers Simeone another sharp, mobile option between the lines and in behind.

At the back, one piece drops neatly back into place. Robin Le Normand has served his suspension and is expected to go straight into the starting XI, restoring experience and authority to the heart of the defence on a night when aerial duels and second balls will matter.

Predicted Atlético XI

Simeone is unlikely to rip up a winning formula, but he does have decisions to make in attack. A possible Atlético Madrid lineup at San Mamés:

Oblak; Llorente, Hancko, Pubill, Grimaldo; Barrios, Hjulmand; Simeone, Kang-in, Lookman; Baena.

It’s a side built to press, to bite in midfield, and to spring quickly into space. Exactly what an away game in Bilbao demands.

Kick-off and how to watch

The game at San Mamés kicks off at 3:15pm BST on Saturday, 5th September.

Supporters in the United Kingdom can watch Athletic Club vs Atlético Madrid live on LALIGATV.

An unbeaten start, a hostile stadium, and new attacking pieces ready to be used — this is the kind of early-season fixture that reveals whether Atlético are just in form, or truly ready to chase something bigger.