Atlético de Madrid: Chasing Barça While Facing Levante’s Challenge
Atlético de Madrid head to the Ciutat de València on Saturday walking a familiar tightrope: one eye on the title race, the other on a brutal fortnight that includes Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
They arrive in Valencia in ruthless form on paper. Six LaLiga wins in a row. Eight games unbeaten in all competitions. Second in the table, two points off Barça. The numbers scream authority.
The performances whisper something else.
Simeone’s side have been grinding, not gliding. Four of their last six league victories have come by a single goal. The latest, a 1-0 edge over Deportivo A Coruña at the Metropolitano, followed the same pattern: Julián Álvarez decided it shortly after the break, Jan Oblak bailed them out late. Job done, but hardly a stroll.
What has held firm is the back line. Atlético have conceded just eight goals in their opening 10 league matches and travel on the back of consecutive clean sheets against Espanyol and Deportivo. For a coach who builds from the back, that is the foundation Simeone trusts most as the calendar turns nasty.
This is where the schedule bites. Bayern in midweek. Barcelona after that. And squeezed between them, a Levante side whose league position disguises a wild attacking edge at home.
Levante: Chaos at the Ciutat
Luís Castro’s Levante sit 14th with 10 points from 10 games, a table spot that suggests mid-table drift. Their week tells a different story. A sharp 3-1 win over Athletic Club at the Ciutat de València was followed four days later by a 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad. High, then low. Spark, then stumble. That has been their season.
At home, though, they are anything but timid.
In four league games at the Ciutat, Levante have scored 13 times. Five against Real Betis. Three against Sevilla. Three more against Athletic Club. When they click, the place becomes a storm, and Castro’s side ride the wind.
The problem? They leak almost as much as they create.
Levante have already conceded 19 league goals, 10 of them at home. Their matches in Valencia feel like coin flips decided in both penalty areas. For Atlético’s forwards, that should feel like an invitation.
Álvarez, decisive again last weekend, and Álex Baena, increasingly central to Atlético’s attacking rhythm, will see space and vulnerability in front of them. If Simeone’s side can finally turn chances into a margin of safety instead of another one-goal grind, this is the stage to do it.
The Men to Watch
Levante’s main threat wears the armband. Captain Roger Brugué, electric on the wing, scored twice in that win over Athletic Club and has been one of Castro’s most dangerous weapons. His movement between the lines and willingness to attack full-backs one-on-one will test Atlético’s defensive structure.
Iván Romero and Petar Ratkov offer further bite in the final third, giving Levante options if the game opens up. On the opposite side of the story stands a familiar face: former Atlético defender Manu Sánchez is expected to start on the left of Levante’s back line, tasked with dealing with the very aggression he once trained to deliver in red and white.
Atlético’s Balancing Act
Simeone’s team news tells you everything about the moment of the season. The midfield remains a concern.
Koke and Johnny Cardoso are still out with muscular problems, working away from the main group and missing again after sitting out the Deportivo win. Their absence strips Atlético of control and experience in the middle of the pitch just when rotation feels essential.
There is, at least, a boost at the back. Cristian Romero has returned to full training after missing the last two matches against Stuttgart and Deportivo. He has been heavily involved in preparations and could walk straight back into the starting XI, restoring both aggression and composure in central defence.
In midfield, Simeone has been testing solutions. Training this week saw Marcos Llorente paired with Pablo Barrios, a combination that would likely push Morten Hjulmand to the bench. On paper, that sounds counterintuitive: Hjulmand is suspended for the Bayern clash, so logic suggests he should log minutes at Levante instead of resting. Simeone’s selection will reveal whether he prioritises rhythm for the Dane or protection for others.
Up front, the options are plentiful and the decisions delicate. Giuliano Simeone is pushing hard for a return to the starting lineup, while Jonathan David, Ademola Lookman, Kang-in Lee and Alexander Sørloth all stand ready if the coach chooses heavier rotation ahead of Bayern and Barça.
Manage the squad, but don’t underestimate Levante. That is the tightrope.
A Ground That Refuses to Bow
History leans Atlético’s way in this fixture. In LaLiga, they hold a 21-8-9 record against Levante, a clear edge over time. Yet the Ciutat de València has never truly felt like friendly territory for Simeone.
Atlético have not won a league game there since June 2020, when a Bruno González own goal was enough for a narrow 1-0 victory. Since then, frustration has been the recurring theme. The most recent visit, in January, ended in a goalless draw that felt like two points dropped rather than one gained.
At the Metropolitano earlier that season, Atlético were far more convincing: a 3-1 win with Antoine Griezmann scoring twice and an own goal from Adrián de la Fuente sealing it. That night, the gap between the clubs looked wide. In Valencia, it rarely does.
Likely Lineups and a Goal-Filled Script
Simeone could line up with:
- Oblak; Grimaldo, Hancko, Romero, Pubill; Baena, Barrios, Llorente, Giuliano; David, Álvarez.
On the other bench, Castro will lean again on the attacking courage that has lit up Levante’s home games, even if it leaves them exposed.
All signs point to another open contest at the Ciutat. Levante’s attacking verve at home against Atlético’s defensive steel and title ambitions. A fragile back line against Álvarez, David and Baena hunting space and goals.
The prediction? A 3-2 Atlético win, with strikes from Álvarez, David and Baena extending their LaLiga winning streak to seven and their unbeaten run in all competitions to eight.
For a club chasing Barcelona and staring down Bayern and Barça in quick succession, the question is simple: can Atlético keep living on this edge without finally slipping?
