Atletico Madrid will be aiming to make it three La Liga victories in a row when they welcome Cadiz to Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday night.
Diego Simeone's side currently sit fifth in the table, boasting 13 points from their opening six matches, while Cadiz are ninth, collecting nine points from their first seven games of the campaign.
Match preview
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Atletico are a game behind 18 of the other 19 teams in La Liga, as their clash with Sevilla, which was scheduled for earlier this month, had to be postponed due to bad weather in the Madrid area.
The low point of their season thus far proved to be a 3-0 reverse at Valencia on September 16, but they have otherwise been impressive, picking up 13 points from their six league games to sit fifth in the table, six points behind the leaders Girona with a game in hand.
Atletico opened their Champions League group-stage campaign with a 1-1 draw against Lazio in Italy; the Spanish outfit were within seconds of winning it, only for Lazio goalkeeper Ivan Provedel to come up with a stunning equaliser in the fifth minute of added time at the end of the 90.
The Red and Whites were excellent in the Madrid derby last weekend, recording a 3-1 victory over Real Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano before beating Osasuna 2-0 on Thursday night.
Antoine Griezmann made the breakthrough at Estadio El Sadar before Rodrigo Riquelme netted a second late on, and Atletico will be aiming to secure another victory before welcoming Feyenoord to Wanda Metropolitano in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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Cadiz, meanwhile, have only lost one of their last five in La Liga, which proved to be a 3-0 reverse at an in-form Athletic Bilbao straight after the international break.
Since then, the Yellow Submarine have drawn with both Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano, and a total of nine points from seven matches has left them in ninth position, representing a solid start.
Cadiz are in their fourth straight season at this level of football, which is their best run since the early 1990s, and they look well-equipped to secure another campaign in the top flight.
Sergio Gonzalez's side have only managed to find the back of the net on six occasions, though, which is the joint-second worst record in the division behind Las Palmas (two).
El Submarino Amarillo suffered a 5-1 defeat to Atletico in the corresponding match during the 2022-23 campaign, although they did record a 3-2 win on home soil.
Team News
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Atletico lost another important player on Thursday, with Alvaro Morata's red card against Osasuna meaning that he will be suspended for this weekend's contest.
Simeone's side have a lengthy injury list, meanwhile, with Pablo Barrios, Thomas Lemar, Rodrigo De Paul, Caglar Soyuncu, Reinildo and Angel Correa unavailable for selection.
Memphis Depay was not involved against Osasuna but could recover in time to feature alongside Griezmann in the final third of the field, but it might otherwise be the same side that started on Thursday, with Saul Niguez, Koke and Marcos Llorente operating in midfield.
As for Cadiz, Fede San Emeterio, Juan Cala, Brian Ocampo and Victor Chust are currently on the sidelines due to fitness problems.
Head coach Sergio is unlikely to make many changes to the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Rayo, but Chris Ramos could be introduced in the final third of the field.
Ruben Sobrino and Sergi Guardiola are also among the forwards pushing for a spot in the side, and Sergio will be looking to find the right formula in the final third, as six goals from seven matches is a disappointing return.
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Molina, Witsel, Gimenez, Hermoso, Lino; Llorente, Koke, Saul; Memphis, Griezmann
Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Carcelen, L Hernandez, Fali, J Hernandez; Alejo, Escalante, Alcaraz, Machis; Roger, Ramos
We say: Atletico Madrid 2-0 Cadiz
Cadiz have only conceded eight times in La Liga this season, and they have made an encouraging start. Atletico are missing a number of important players at the moment, but we are still expecting Simeone's side to secure all three points in front of their own supporters.
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