Atletico Madrid will be bidding to bounce back from a disappointing result in the Copa del Rey when they resume their La Liga campaign away to Sevilla on Saturday evening.
Diego Simeone's side lost 1-0 at home to Athletic Bilbao in their first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday night, but Sevilla will enter the match off the back of a morale-boosting 2-1 success over Rayo Vallecano in Spain's top flight.
Match preview
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Youssef En-Nesyri made a timely return from international football for Sevilla's trip to Rayo on Monday, and the forward, who had been representing Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations, scored a brace in the Spanish capital to help his side secure a gigantic three points in their battle against the drop.
The victory proved to be Sevilla's first in La Liga since the middle of December and just their fourth in the league all season, which is an indication of their issues in 2023-24.
The result moved them up into 15th spot in the table, now on 20 points from 23 matches, but they are only three points ahead of the relegation zone and still have plenty of work to do in order to avoid what would be a shock relegation to the Segunda Division.
Quique Sanchez Flores's side have a very tough run over the last few weeks, facing Atletico, Valencia, Real Madrid and Real Sociedad in their next four, but the victory over Rayo would certainly have boosted confidence.
Los Nervionenses finished 12th in La Liga last season, and they are bidding to avoid their worst final spot at this level since being relegated from Spain's top flight back in 1999-2000.
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Atletico, meanwhile, were beaten 1-0 at home by Athletic in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday night, leaving them with plenty to do in the return match if they are to advance to the final.
The result was a setback, but the Red and Whites have been in impressive form in La Liga, picking up 10 points from their last four matches, including a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid last weekend.
Los Blancos were close to securing a 1-0 win in the Madrid derby, but Marcos Llorente came up with a last-gasp goal, heading into the top corner to help his side pick up a welcome point at Bernabeu.
Simeone's side are currently fourth in the La Liga table, picking up 48 points from their 23 league matches this season, which has left them 10 points behind the leaders Real Madrid and just three ahead of fifth-placed Athletic in the battle to secure Champions League football for next season.
Atletico have another two league games before heading to Inter Milan for the first leg of their last-16 Champions League clash on February 20, while they also have a La Liga fixture with Almeria before heading to San Mames on February 29 for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.
Team News
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Sevilla will again be without the services of a number of first-team players, with Lucien Agoume, Tanguy Nianzou, Kike Salas, Nemanja Gudelj and Dodi Lukebakio unavailable for selection.
Erik Lamela and Mariano Diaz are also major doubts due to muscular problems, but the squad will be boosted by the returns of Sergio Ramos and Suso following one-game suspensions.
Isaac Romero is again set to feature alongside En-Nesyri in the final third, while Ramos and Suso should both come back into the XI, with the injured Agoume set to drop out along with Marcao.
As for Atletico, Jose Gimenez, Cesar Azpilicueta and Thomas Lemar remain unavailable for selection, while Alvaro Morata is a slight doubt due to a muscular issue.
There will also be no Saul Niguez for the Red and Whites, with the Spaniard suspended due to the milestone yellow card that he picked up in the clash with Real Madrid last time out.
Should Morata be passed fit, he will feature alongside Antoine Griezmann in the final third of the field, while Llorente is also expected to be brought back into the XI for the league contest.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Nyland; Navas, Bade, Ramos, Acuna; Suso, Sow, Soumare, Ocampos; En-Nesyri, Romero
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Savic, Witsel, Hermoso; Molina, De Paul, Koke, Llorente, Lino; Griezmann, Morata
We say: Sevilla 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Sevilla will be full of confidence following their win over Rayo, and the hosts will also be the fresher of the two sides. Atletico are in desperate need of the points to keep themselves in the top four, though, and we are expecting Simeone's side to navigate their way through a tough game to secure a vital win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
