Leganes vs Atletico Madrid Preview: How to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Leganes host Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday afternoon. In what has been a refreshingly unpredictable season thus far, Atletico sit in fourth place behind leaders Barcelona, second placed Alaves and Sevilla. Three points separate first and fifth, so it's crucial for Diego Simeone's side not to slip up and keep pace with the leading pack.
With city rivals Real Madrid enduring a dreadful start to the season, Atletico may emerge as Barcelona's closest contenders for the league title; Alaves's form is surely unsustainable throughout the season (they're 1000/1 on for the title if anybody thinks they can pull a Leicester), and Sevilla haven't been serious title contenders in quite some time. A win for Atletico will send them top of the table, albeit for only a few hours before Barcelona play Rayo Vallecano.
Quality Sport Images/GettyImages
Meanwhile Leganes sit in 18th, one point away from safety. A win for the home side will send them out of the relegation zone, so there's plenty of motivation for them to cause an upset. Here's 90min's preview of the game.
How to Watch
When is Kick Off? | Saturday 3rd November |
What Time is Kick Off? | 12:00 (BST) |
Where is it Played? | Estadio Municipal de Butarque |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | Eleven Sports |
Team News
Jose Gimenez is still sidelined with a hamstring injury which has seen him miss Atletico's last three games, so expect Stefan Savic to continue to deputise in his absence. Atletico completely rested their starting XI for their midweek Copa del Rey victory against Sant Andreu, so their big guns should all be fresh for the weekend.
Power Sport Images/GettyImages
Leganes could recall Youssef En-Nesyri to the starting line up, following his two goal haul in the Copa del Rey midweek. Former Liverpool forward Nabil El Zahr is also in contention for a recall.
Predicted Lineups
Leganes | Cuellar; Juanfran, Omeruo, Siavas, Silva; Vesga, Gumbau, El Zahr, Eraso, Rolan; En-Nesyri |
Atletico Madrid | Oblak; Arias, Savic, Godin, L. Hernandez; Correa, Koke, R. Hernandez, Saul; Griezmann, Costa |
Head to Head Record
Since Leganes' promotion to La Liga in 2015, this fixture hasn't been wholly one-sided. Out of their four encounters, Atletico have won two and drawn two. The last match between the two resulted in a 4-0 win for Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano.
PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/GettyImages
Recent Form
True to form Atletico have been difficult to beat this season - their loss to Celta Vigo in September being the only blemish on their league record. However, they've drawn four of their ten games this season, and will need to convert those games into wins going forward if they're to match Barcelona. After uncharacteristically shipping four goals away to Dortmund in the Champions League, Atletico have kept clean sheets in their last two games.
Leganes have shown the form you'd expect of a side fighting a relegation battle, having won just twice all season. However they have shown they can perform against the big sides this season, having drawn against Valencia and beaten champions Barcelona.
Here's how both teams have fared in their last five matches:
Leganes | Atletico Madrid |
Leganes 2-2 Rayo Vallecano (30/10) | Sant Andreu 0-1 Atletico Madrid (30/10) |
Levante 2-0 Leganes (27/10) | Atletico Madrid 2-0 Real Sociedad (27/10) |
Valencia 1-1 Leganes (20/10) | Dortmund 4-0 Atletico Madrid (24/10) |
Leganes 1-0 Rayo Vallecano (06/10) | Villarreal 1-1 Atletico Madrid (20/10) |
Real Betis 1-0 Leganes (30/09) | Atletico Madrid 1-0 Real Betis (07/10) |
Predictions
Atletico look to have steadied the ship after their shock hammering at the hands of Dortmund. With the added motivation of having to keep the pressure on Barcelona, they should have what it takes to get the job done. Leganes have upset the apple cart before however. Their win against Barcelona showed that with the right organisation and a little bit of luck they can cause problems for the bigger teams.
