UD Almería always competed in fine form at home against Atlético de Madrid
It will be the 7th visit of the Colchoneros with a single away victory clinched on the South Coast. Narrow margins. Maximum competitiveness.
UD Almería have carried out the last training session this Saturday evening ahead of the fixture with Atlético de Madrid. This Sunday (KO 4:15pm CET) the Power Horse Stadium will be the venue of the 7th visit of the Colchoneros. A highly competitive game is expected since UD Almería always competed in fine form at home as they won twice, three times both sides shared the spoils and there was just one victory achieved by Atlético away from home. The equality in the latest six games between these two Spanish clubs saw the hosts [UD Almería] scoring seven goals and the visitors [Atlético de Madrid] eight. Except for the 2-1 triumph recorded by UD Almería in the past 2013/14 season, none of the previous victories clinched by both teams were achieved by more than one goal of advantage.
After Saturday's practice, UD Almería subsequently got together waiting to face this new league challenge. Rubi has already announced at the pre-Atletico press conference that all his players are available for selection.
HISTORY
The last visit of Atlético de Madrid took place in 2014 when head coach Francisco was at the helm of the then relegation-threatened Indalicos team while, on the contrary, Atleti were sitting fourth and remained undefeated. The second-half goal was the result of the quintessence of that team: Koke's fine assist from the corner and a clinical shot from one of central defender Miranda. It was their only victory on all their trips.
The Rojiblancos from down south managed to defeat the then top-tier leaders. It was the 2013/14 season [Matchday 23] with Atlético topping the table and UD Almería fighting to avoid the drop. Head coach Cholo Simeone's side had succumbed to a single defeat and were crowned champions of the league. Francisco's men went all out and matched the intensity of rivals with he likes of Diego, Costa, Arda Turán, Tiago or Godín. Verza scored a historic brace to create a magical night that will always be remembered. This 2022/23 campaign, the two outfits face the encounter after losing their previous matches. While UD Almería lost at home to Real Sociedad (0-2), Atlético de Madrid succumbed to a defeat to FC Barcelona (0-1). Rubi's players are in 14th place and Simeone's Colchoneros sit fifth at the minute. Two powerful opponents will face each other on the South Coast; UD Almería will be hosting Atlético de Madrid at the Power Horse Stadium, where they have lost only three matches this season so far. Atleti won five of the eight games played as guests this season.
RELEVANCE
Within Club Atlético de Madrid, top scorer Alvaro Morata stands out on an individual level with six goals in sixteen games played. As for the assists, one of their most powerful weapons, Griezmann produced five this campaign, ranking in the top 3. Despite the fact that the team-work and intensity of the Madrid-based team cannot go unnoticed, they are the third team who shoot the most against any opponents' goal with a total of 82 shots on goal.
REFEREE
José María Sánchez Martínez from the Murcian Committee will be the referee. He will lead his first match in the Spanish top flight against UD Almería; previously, he has refereed four times in the Segunda Division awarding three wins and one loss. Atlético de Madrid have been playing with him as the match official eighteen times with ten wins, six draws and two losses. The referee is international and this is his eighth season in the elite of Spanish football.
ATTENDANCE
Next Sunday, the Power Horse Stadium 'Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos' aims to beat a record attendance this 2022/23 campaign; additional stands placed in the East stand have raised the maximum number of attendees to 16,503 and in this game, the number of fans rooting for the Indalicos could be higher than 14,529 spectators who attended the season opener on Matchday 1 against Real Madrid CF.
