Following their 3-0 defeat to Barcelona two weeks ago, Atletico Madrid have fallen out of the Champions League places, with Athletic Club now occupying fourth in the table. Diego Simeone will be eyeing up an immediate response for his side, as they make the trip to Villarreal on Monday night.
Simeone has been planning his side in training, and several changes are expected, as noted by Diario AS. Jose Maria Gimenez, who is back fit after six weeks out, is in line to start alongside Axel Witsel and Reinildo Mandava. Marcos Llorente and Rodrigo Riquelme lined up as the wing-backs.
In midfield, Rodrigo De Paul is suspended, so Koke Resurreccion, Pablo Barrios and – surprisingly – Samuel Lino lined up as the midfielder three in training, with Memphis Depay and Antoine Griezmann, who is fully recovered from his ankle injury, starting in attack.
It will be a tricky test for Atletico Madrid, as Villarreal have been in good form over the last few weeks. However, it’s imperative that they start to improve their away results, which have been shocking for the last few months.
