Atlético Madrid vs Villarreal: Simeone's Side Aiming for Another Win
Atlético Madrid return to the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday with the wind at their backs and the bar already set high. One game, one win, one clean sheet. Now Villarreal arrive to test whether this version of Diego Simeone’s team is ready to turn early promise into something more serious.
Atlético opened their La Liga campaign with a controlled 2-0 victory over Málaga CF, a performance that underlined both their organisation and their depth. The starters laid the platform; the bench killed the game. Lee Kang-in and Álex Baena stepped off it and straight onto the scoresheet, a sharp reminder that places in this side will not be handed out on reputation alone.
The Wanda finished last season as a fortress and nothing in the first outing of the new campaign suggested that has changed. Atlético looked compact, aggressive without the ball and ruthless enough when chances appeared. Simeone will want the same steel and the same clean-sheet mentality against Villarreal.
Team news: Álvarez back, Sørloth out
The headline for Atlético is clear: Julián Álvarez is back. After an extended post-tournament break, the star forward has returned to full training and is ready to lead the line. His movement and pressing fit perfectly with Simeone’s demands, and his presence instantly raises Atlético’s attacking ceiling.
The problems sit elsewhere in the forward line. Alexander Sørloth remains sidelined with a muscle issue, ruling him out of contention. Long-term absentee Thomas Lemar is still unavailable, while new defensive signing Cristian Romero also misses out with physical problems that delay his debut.
Simeone has settled, for now, on a flexible 1-4-1-4-1 setup, with Koke anchoring the midfield. The captain’s role is simple on paper and demanding in reality: protect the back four, dictate tempo, and knit together the transitions that define Atlético’s game.
Out wide, the coach has a genuine selection headache. Lee Kang-in and Álex Baena both came off the bench to score against Málaga CF, injecting pace and imagination into the attack. Their impact has put real pressure on Carlos Martín and Arnau Ortiz, who started that opener but now face a fight to keep their places. Simeone must decide whether to reward form or stick with continuity.
Predicted Atlético XI
Simeone is expected to stay close to the formula that delivered on the opening weekend, with one or two key tweaks in the attacking band. The projected lineup is:
Oblak; Llorente, Hancko, Le Normand, Grimaldo; Barrios, Koke; Simeone, Kang-in, Baena; Lookman.
That shape gives Atlético energy in the full-back areas, composure at centre-back and a busy, mobile front line in front of Álvarez’s main rival for central minutes, Ademola Lookman. With Kang-in and Baena operating between the lines and from the flanks, the hosts carry enough creativity to trouble Villarreal from multiple angles.
Kick-off and TV details
The match at the Wanda Metropolitano kicks off at 4pm BST on Sunday, 23rd August.
In the UK, Atlético Madrid vs Villarreal will be broadcast live on Premier Sports 1.
The stage is set, the stadium expects, and Simeone’s side have already shown their teeth. Now comes the question that will shape their early season: can they turn a strong start into a statement?
