Atletico Madrid bring 7 points to Athletic Club’s 0-1 home record

Atletico Madrid arrive with 7 points from three games for today’s 14:15 UTC meeting, while Athletic Club sit 13th with 3 points. The gap is four points before Round 4, with both clubs trying to keep pace with Barcelona’s perfect 9-point start.

What's at stake

Athletic Club can move from 3 points to 6 with a win, cutting into a deficit that currently leaves them six points behind Barcelona. Atletico Madrid, fourth on 7 points, would reach 10 with victory and currently trail the leaders by only two; a defeat would leave Diego Simeone’s side on 7 points while Athletic remain on 3.

The numbers

Athletic Club’s home record is 0W 0D 1L, with one goal scored, three conceded and no clean sheets. Atletico Madrid have won their only away fixture, scoring three times and conceding once, also without a clean sheet. Their overall numbers underline the contrast: Athletic have scored 3 and conceded 5, while Atletico have scored 7 and conceded 3.

Recent form adds another layer: Athletic’s sequence is Loss, Loss, Win, whereas Atletico’s is Win, Draw, Win. The visitors’ 2W 1D 0L league record is unbeaten after three matches.

One to watch

Álex Baena leads the scorer chart among players from these squads with 3 goals and 1 assist in 3 appearances for Atletico Madrid. Lee Kang-In has added 1 goal and 1 assist in 3 appearances, giving the visitors two named contributors to track as Athletic try to improve a home attack that has produced only once.

Why it matters

Athletic Club’s options are affected by the absences of P. Canales, A. Djalo, U. Egiluz and N. Serrano, while D. Vivian is questionable with a hamstring injury. Atletico Madrid are without A. Sorloth and O. Vargas, making today’s availability picture relevant to two sides separated by four points and contrasting recent records.