- 1 Espanyol vs Atletico Madrid: Simeone’s in-form side head to a ground that keeps biting them
- 2 Espanyol: Roberto Fernandez is carrying the attack
- 3 Atletico Madrid: five straight wins and no injury worries
- 4 Free La Liga Prediction: Espanyol vs Atletico Madrid
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Espanyol vs Atletico Madrid: Simeone’s in-form side head to a ground that keeps biting them 
Atletico Madrid have won only one of their last six meetings with Espanyol. Four of those games ended level. For a club of Atletico’s size, that’s a strange record, and it’s the most interesting thing about Saturday’s lunchtime game in Cornella, kick-off 14:00 Paris time.
Because on current form, this shouldn’t be close. Diego Simeone’s side have won five in a row across all competitions. In La Liga, that run includes a 4-0 thrashing of Osasuna, a 3-0 win at Real Sociedad and a 2-1 derby victory over Real Madrid. Then on Tuesday, they beat Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League.
Espanyol are heading the other way. Manolo Gonzalez’s side have taken one point from their last three games, and they sit 12th on eight points after eight rounds. Their last home game ended in a 3-1 defeat to Elche, which isn’t a result anyone at the club will want to remember.
The table gap is 11 points. Atletico are second on 19, five behind leaders Barcelona, and they can ill afford to drop anything if they want to stay in touch.
And yet. Espanyol won this fixture 2-1 last season, and that recent head-to-head tells you Atletico rarely have an easy afternoon here.
Across the full history of the fixture, Atletico lead comfortably: 97 wins to Espanyol’s 54 from 187 meetings, with 36 draws. The long view favours the visitors. The short view is murkier.
Espanyol: Roberto Fernandez is carrying the attack 
Four defeats from eight. Half of Espanyol’s league games this season have ended in defeat, and the losses have come against a mix of opponents: Real Madrid, Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano, all by a single goal, and then that 3-1 home defeat to Elche.
There have been bright spots. A 3-0 win over Levante and a 2-0 victory at Osasuna showed what this side can do when it’s on its game. And the 1-1 draw at Malaga last weekend, straight after the international break, at least stopped the bleeding.
Roberto Fernandez has been the standout. Six goals in eight league appearances from the 24-year-old striker. Without him, this team would be much lower in the table. That’s the reality.
Bryan Zaragoza, on loan from Bayern Munich, scored his first La Liga goal at Malaga and should keep his place out wide. Javi Puado has returned to the squad after his fitness problems, which gives Gonzalez another option from the bench.
The absences hurt, though. Striker Kike Garcia isn’t expected back before December, and midfielder Jofre Carreras is also out. That thins the attacking depth considerably.
Espanyol finished 11th last season after a very strong first half of the campaign. This time around, they haven’t found that rhythm yet.
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Atletico Madrid: five straight wins and no injury worries 
Simeone has a full squad to choose from. In October, with Champions League football every few days, that’s a rare luxury, and it tells you why this team’s in such good shape right now.
The only real blip in La Liga came in round two, a 3-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao. Since then, it’s been relentless. Sevilla beaten 3-1 away, Real Sociedad 3-0 away, Osasuna 4-0 at home, Real Madrid 2-1 in the derby and Alaves 2-1 on the road. That’s a side that knows what it’s about.
The goals are coming from everywhere. Alex Baena has four in the league with two assists. Alex Grimaldo and Jonathan David have three each. Giuliano Simeone and Kang-in Lee have chipped in too. Pablo Barrios and Ademola Lookman both scored against Manchester United on Tuesday.
If there’s a concern, it’s Julian Alvarez. He’s struggling for form this season, though he’s still expected to keep his place. With David and Lookman pushing hard off the bench, the pressure’s on.
Defensively, Jan Oblak and the back line have been solid. Three clean sheets in their last five league games tells its own story.
What does this all add up to? A team in its best form of the season, travelling to opponents short on confidence.
Probable lineup Espanyol: Fortuno; El Hilali, Riedel, Cabrera, Hartman; Lozano, Exposito; Dolan, Hernandez, Zaragoza; Fernandez
Probable lineup Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Llorente, Romero, Hancko, Grimaldo; Simeone, Barrios, Cardoso, Baena; Lee, Alvarez
Free La Liga Prediction: Espanyol vs Atletico Madrid
Our prediction: Atletico Madrid to win (odds 1.73)
The head-to-head record is the one thing standing in the way of this pick, and we’ve weighed it seriously. Atletico have struggled at Espanyol recently. But form matters more than history, and right now there’s a huge gap between these two sides.
Atletico have won five straight, they’ve got every player available, and they’ve scored at least twice in each of their last five league wins. Espanyol have lost four of eight, they’re without Kike Garcia, and they’ve just been beaten 3-1 at home by Elche.
Fernandez can make life difficult, and a goal for the hosts wouldn’t surprise us. Over 90 minutes, though, Atletico’s depth and momentum should carry them through. At 1.73, it’s a fair price for a team in this kind of form.
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