Overview
Atletico Madrid entered the penultimate round of La Liga with the goal of continuing to chase third place after a 2-1 victory over Osasuna in the middle of the week. The 3 points obtained help Diego Simeone's team rise to fourth place with 66 points, only 3 points behind Villarreal in the top 3 race.
Although they have secured a Champions League spot next season, Atletico is still considered to have a season that has not lived up to expectations. The capital team could not compete for the La Liga championship, and also lost to Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final and stopped in the Champions League semi-finals after being eliminated by Arsenal.
In front of Atletico are the last two matches against Girona and Villarreal - matches that could decide their chances of ending the season in the top 3. Home ground continues to be a major support for Atletico this season as they have won 43 points after 18 matches at Wanda Metropolitano. In addition, the red and white team is also completely overwhelming Girona in recent encounters.
Atletico has won all four recent encounters with the representative of Catalonia, including a 3-0 victory in the first leg at the beginning of the season. Meanwhile, Girona entered the match with a lot of pressure as the relegation battle has not yet been decided.
The 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad in the previous round helped Michel's team rank 15th in the standings, but they are only one point ahead of the relegation group when the season has two rounds left. The gap from Osasuna in 13th place to Levante in 19th place is currently only 3 points, making the relegation race in La Liga extremely tense.
Girona once caused a big surprise when finishing third in the 2023-2024 season, but after only two years, this team struggled to avoid relegation. Head-to-head history also does not favor Girona when they have only beaten Atletico once in the last eight encounters - a 4-3 victory in January 2024 at Montilivi home ground.
Personnel situation
Atletico Madrid will enter the reception of Girona with many notable losses in force, especially in defense and midfield.
Jose Gimenez, Nahuel Molina and Johnny Cardoso are definitely absent due to injury, while Pablo Barrios, Nico Gonzalez, Julian Alvarez and Giuliano Simeone still have to have their physical condition tested before kick-off.
In addition, Marcos Llorente will also not be able to play after receiving a red card in the victory against Osasuna in the middle of the week.
In the context of personnel shortage, Alexander Sorloth may be given a chance to start after scoring from the bench in the most recent match. Alex Baena is also ready to return to the starting lineup after serving a one-match suspension.
On the other side of the front line, Girona continued to be affected by injuries when Juan Carlos, Vladyslav Vanat, Portu and Marc-Andre ter Stegen were all unable to participate.
Donny van de Beek is recovering positively from his Achilles tendon injury, but the match against Atletico is considered too early for the Dutch midfielder to reappear.
In attack, Cristhian Stuani is likely to start after scoring 2 goals in the last two appearances. Although 39 years old, the Uruguayan striker is still Girona's big hope in the relegation battle.
Expected lineup:
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Pubill, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri, Mendoza, Vargas, Lookman, Griezmann, Baena, Sorloth.
Girona: Gazzaniga, Martinez, Frances, Reis, Moreno, Witsel, Beltran, Tsygankov, Ounahi, Roca, Stuani.
The match between Atletico Madrid and Girona takes place at 0:00 a.m. on May 18 (Vietnam time).
