Atletico Madrid will be travelling to the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes to face off against Granada in La Liga on Monday night.
Los Rojiblancos enjoyed a promising start this season, however, they have struggled to showcase consistency in recent weeks and as a result, they have now been dropped out of the top-four spot.
Diego Simeone’s side are currently fifth in the table with 38 points from 19 games, sitting three points behind the fourth-placed Barcelona with a game in hand. The head-to-head rule breaks the tie in the Spanish top-flight and the Blaugrana defeated Atletico Madrid last month.
So, Simeone’s side are behind Barcelona in the head-to-head rule and therefore, a win against Granada won’t take Atletico Madrid to the top-four position.
After beating Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey, Atletico Madrid will be full of confidence ahead of this fixture and Los Rojiblancos will be hoping to continue their winning run versus Granada.
On the other hand, Granada have endured a dire campaign so far this term, languishing down 19th in the table with 11 points from 20 games. They have won only two games in the Spanish top-flight this season, sitting five points off the safety.
Granada have accumulated most of their points at home so they will be desperate to come away with a positive result from this encounter by taking the home advantage.
Previous meetings
Atletico Madrid have been the dominant team against Granada, winning 14 out of the last 19 games in La Liga. Los Rojiblancos even won the reverse fixture at home versus the Nazaríes.
However, Granada came on top in this fixture last season so Atletico Madrid will be desperate to win this game at the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes on Monday night.
How to watch
The match will kick off at 8 PM UK time and the game will be televised live on Viaplay Sports 1 and La Liga TV in the UK.
Match going fans can buy Granada vs Atletico Madrid tickets through official club channels or via trusted resellers such as seatsnet.com.
Team news
Ricard Sanchez was suspended in the previous game against Real Betis having accumulated five yellow cards. But, he will be available for selection in this fixture. Granada will be without veteran goalkeeper Raul Fernandez due to an injury issue.
As for Atletico Madrid, Reinildo is currently out with his national team to play in AFCON so he isn’t available for selection in this fixture, while Vitolo and Thomas Lemar have been sidelined over the last few months due to serious injury problems and they aren’t expected to return anytime soon. So, the duo aren’t available for selection in this fixture.
Predicted line-up
Granada boss Alexander Medina is expected to go with a 4-4-2 formation with Augusto Batalla set to be in goal for the hosts. Sanchez should return to the starting eleven in the right-back position, while Carlos Neva could be on the opposite side. Kamil Piatkowski is set to be at the heart of Granada’s defence alongside Ignasi Miguel.
Gonzalo Villar should be in the engine room and he should be paired up with Sergio Ruiz Alonso. Bryan Zaragoza and Jose Callejon are likely to be deployed on the flanks with Lucas Boye and Mytro Uzuni in the number nine role.
Expected Granada line-up vs Atletico Madrid
Batalla; Sánchez, Piatkowski, Miguel, Neva; Zaragoza, Alonso, Villar, Callejón; Uzuni, Boye
As for Atletico Madrid, Simeone usually likes to play with the 3-5-2 formation and it’s likely to be the same in this fixture. Jan Oblak could be in goal for the visitors, while Stefan Savic, Axel Witsel and Mario Hermoso could be the back three.
Nahuel Molina and Samuel Lino might commence in the fullback position for Simeone’s side. Koke is likely to be in the deep-lying playmaker position with Marcos Llorente and Rodrigo de Paul in the box-to-box role. Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann should lead the line for Atletico Madrid.
Expected Atletico Madrid line-up vs Granada
Oblak; Savic, Witsel, Hermoso; Molina, De Paul, Koke, Llorente, Lino; Griezmann, Morata
Key players
Zaragoza is the main goal-scorer for Granada, he helped his side come away with a point against Barcelona by scoring a brace, while he guided his team to victory versus Cadiz earlier this month. So, the hosts will be looking at him to showcase some magic and help Granada come away with a positive result against Atletico Madrid.
Boye and Uzuni need to link-up well and help their side push forward. They are unlikely to have many chances in this game so they need to be clinical in front of the goal.
The back four will have to perform at their best to prevent opposition attacks, while Batalla will need to be at the top of his game to give his side hope of coming away with a positive result from this encounter.
For Atletico Madrid, Morata has been enjoying a promising campaign this season so Los Rojiblancos will be hoping that the Spaniard will be able to perform at his best in this encounter and help his side come away with all three points.
Griezmann is the talismanic figure for Atletico Madrid and is the main creative player. So, the onus will be on him to create opportunities for Morata and finish those off when he gets any.
The responsibility will be on Lino and Molina to stretch the opposition’s defence to create gaps. Llorente and De Paul need to capitalise on those spaces to open up the goal for Simeone’s side.
Oblak is unlikely to face many chances in this fixture but he will have to stay alert as Granada could create some opportunities in counter-attack and he needs to be wary about those situations.
Prediction
Granada have won only one of their last 17 games in La Liga so it looks extremely difficult for the hosts to come away with a positive result from this encounter. However, the Nazaríes have managed to come away with a draw against Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona – who are currently in the top-four position – at the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes this season.
So, those two results should give them the belief that they could earn something from this game as well, especially given, Simeone’s side haven’t had a great time in recent weeks, though they managed to earn an emphatic victory last time out. In addition, the side from the capital have struggled away from home this season in La Liga, losing five out of nine games.
However, Atletico Madrid have an extremely talented squad and that should give them an edge to win this game. So, it is likely that the visitors will come away with all three points from this fixture. However, it is going to be interesting to see how the game eventually pans out on Monday night. Granada 1-2 Atlético Madrid
