🏏 Sat, 29 Aug 2026 21:30 CEST
Sevilla
vs
Atletico Madrid
4-2-3-1 vs 4-4-2
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- Sevilla arrive on six points from two wins, sitting fourth on goal difference (+3) behind Barcelona (+7) and Real Madrid (+4), who share the same tally. Leaders Alaves have seven points from three games, so a home win here would put Sevilla right on their shoulder. Atletico, unbeaten on four points in sixth, can erase a two-point gap in one afternoon.
- Sevilla's start has been emphatic rather than lucky: 2-1 at home against Rayo Vallecano on the opening weekend, then a 3-1 win away at Athletic Club. Five goals scored and two conceded in two matches tells the story, and the side they beat on the road are still pointless in 20th place.
- Atletico have not left home yet this season. They shut out Malaga 2-0 in round one, then were pegged back to a 2-2 draw by Villarreal in round two, dropping two points in front of their own supporters. This is their first away trip of the campaign, and the question is whether their four-goals-for, two-against balance travels.
- Julio Diaz del Romo faces the club that raised him. The 21-year-old left-footer came through Atletico's academy, has been capped by Spain at Under-20 level and can also fill in at left-back. He starts in the band of three behind the striker in Sevilla's 4-2-3-1, wearing number 3 against his former employers.
- The battle for the middle could decide it. Sevilla pair Jon Guridi, a 31-year-old Real Sociedad product whose left foot dictates tempo, with Lucien Agoume, the 185cm Frenchman signed from Inter. Atletico counter with Morten Hjulmand, the Denmark international who cost around 40 million euros from Sporting CP and captained both Lecce and Sporting, alongside 23-year-old academy graduate Pablo Barrios.
- Atletico's 4-4-2 is fronted by Alex Baena, the 25-year-old Europa League winner with Villarreal and a former LaLiga assist leader, and Lee Kang-in, the South Korea playmaker who learned his trade at Valencia before Paris Saint-Germain. Ademola Lookman, scorer of a hat-trick in a Europa League final, and Giuliano Simeone, the manager's son, provide the width.
- There is a clear size contrast at one end. Sevilla's centre-back pairing of Kike Salas, a 188cm left-footed academy product of 24, and 23-year-old Andres Castrin, signed from CD Lugo in 2024, both dominate the air. Atletico's forwards do not: Baena is 175cm and Lee 173cm, so the threat comes through combination play and running behind rather than crosses.
- Both left-backs are launch pads for their attacks. Alex Grimaldo, 30, was schooled at Barcelona, spent years at Benfica and helped Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title with his delivery from the left. Gabriel Suazo captained Colo-Colo, won the Coupe de France with Toulouse and brings the same overlapping instincts for Sevilla.
- The goalkeeping duel is worth watching. Odisseas Vlachodimos, the 32-year-old Greece international, played Champions League football at Benfica and has also been on the books at Stuttgart, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle. Facing him is Jan Oblak, 33, the Slovenia number one whose reflexes and positioning have underpinned Atletico's defensive identity for a decade.
- The benches carry weight too. Sevilla can call on Chidera Ejuke, the 28-year-old Nigeria winger who made his name in the Champions League with CSKA Moscow, and academy striker Isaac Romero, 26, whose left-footed finishing is his calling card. Atletico have club legend Koke, 34, with more than 700 appearances, plus World Cup winner Cristian Romero and Uruguay captain Jose Maria Gimenez in reserve.