Two clubs in the top half of the Liga BBVA table will do battle today in a league match between Atletico Madrid and Espanyol. The first-division clash scheduled for 6 a.m. ET will be held at the Vicente Calderon in Madrid and can be live streamed here free.
Espanyol defender Diego Colotto had this to offer ahead of today's league encounter (via Inside Spanish Football): "They're still a really good team. They're amongst the best in La Liga, they're still following the same line as last season and they'll be just as competitive right to the end of the season. It will be a tough game, but we've already played against Sevilla and Valencia, who have also shown that they're doing well."
"They've changed quite a few players, one in each area of their side at the very least," he added. "They have different players in attack, so it's difficult to make comparisons with those they've replaced, but they still have strikers who are hungry for goals and I'm sure they'll get them sooner or later."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: One of the Atletico Madrid strikers looking to find his scoring boots is Mario Mandzukic. The 28-year-old has just two goals in 389 league minutes and is averaging less than one key pass per match (0.8). To challenge the defensive prowess Diego Colotto, Mandzukic must correct his form at home on Sunday.
Atletico Madrid's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Moya; Ansaldi, Godin, Miranda, Gamez; Gabi, Tiago; Koke, Garcia, Turan; Mandzukic
Espanyol's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Casilla; Lopez, Colotto, Gonzalez, Fuentes; Alvarez, Sanchez, Canas, Vazquez; Caicedo, Stuani
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (lineups and statistics via WhoScored).
Standings
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Barcelona | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 22 | 22 | |||
| 2 | Real Madrid CF | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 9 | 21 | 18 | |||
| 3 | Valencia CF | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 17 | |||
| 4 | Sevilla FC | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 16 | |||
| 5 | Atlético Madrid | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 14 | |||
| 6 | Celta de Vigo | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 13 | |||
| 7 | Málaga CF | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 12 | |||
| 8 | Villarreal CF | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 11 | |||
| 9 | Rayo Vallecano | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 12 | -1 | 11 | |||
| 10 | RCD Espanyol | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 9 | |||
| 11 | UD Almería | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 | |||
| 12 | Eibar | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 9 | |||
| 13 | Granada CF | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 12 | -7 | 8 | |||
| 14 | Getafe CF | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 11 | -7 | 7 | |||
| 15 | Real Sociedad | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 5 | |||
| 16 | Athletic Club | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 12 | -7 | 5 | |||
| 17 | Elche CF | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 16 | -9 | 5 | |||
| 18 | Levante UD | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 20 | -16 | 5 | |||
| 19 | Córdoba CF | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 | -8 | 4 | |||
| 20 | Deportivo La Coruña | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 19 | -11 | 4 |
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