La Liga Preview: Valladolid – Atlético Madrid

It’s been a long old summer for Javier Aguirre and his troops, but it finally looks as though we're bearing witness to the fruits of their labour. Two consecutive 4-0 victories, one over a strong Schalke side and the other against newly promoted Málaga, have demonstrated exactly what impact the summer investment has had at the Vicente Calderón.

New signings Tomas Ujfalusi and John Heitinga have looked flawless at the back, in comparison to last season's circus-like mishaps, whilst Paulo Assuncao and Gregory Coupet have added much needed experience to the spine of the side. Add to this a ticket to the Champions League group stages and it’s fair to say that it’s 'so far so good' for Atlético Madrid.

Unfortunately for their opponents on Saturday night, things aren't going quite so well. Whilst there is no shame in a narrow 1-0 defeat at Espanyol, the circumstances of the loss will no doubt have haunted manager José Luis Mendilibar this week. In a largely forgettable affair, his side often looked devoid of ideas and, barring the last 20 minutes when they were desperately seeking an equaliser, didn’t warm the gloves of Carlos Kameni on too many occasions.

Ses-sational

The manager will no doubt be banking on the added motivation of playing in front of the home crowd to rouse his team for this occasion and see them put in an improved performance. Judging by last weeks efforts, the only players who might not have been in his bad books are Sergio Asenjo and Jonathan Sesma, especially the latter, who terrorised the Espanyol right wing all night and looked their main goal threat.

If Sesma can again go through the gears and find support from some of the other talents in midfield, such as Rubio Alvaro or Ogbeche, then Valladolid could well be a threat to Atlético, particularly down the flanks. Indeed, it will be interesting to see if Aguirre sticks with his rotation policy from the first game and keeps Giourkas Seitaridis in at right-back instead of Luis Perea. From the outset, it appears as though the pacey Perea would be much more suited to deal with Sesma, so it will be surprising if he does not get the nod ahead of the Greek international.

Rotation aside, it looks as though both sides will have their strongest XI eleven out for this game and, whatever the result, it is fair to expect goals. In last season's first meeting between these two sides, the Vicente Calderón witnessed a goal-fest with Los Rojiblancos emerging as 4-3 winners. In the reverse fixture at the José Zorrilla, the hosts scraped a 1-1 draw thanks to a 90th minute equaliser, a result which they would no doubt be delighted with come Saturday eve.

Going into the match, though, it is hard to see past a victory for Atlético Madrid. Not only do they have the psychological upper hand after racking up eight goals in their last two games, but they also have a wealth of fully-fit talent in their ranks. Furthermore, they will desperate to extend their lead at the top of the table after seeing rivals Villarreal, Sevilla, Barcelona and Real Madrid drop points on the opening day.

Valladolid, on the other hand, looked lacklustre against Espanyol and, whilst opening day jitters can take some of the blame, they will need to improve dramatically if they are to give their fans anything to shout about.

FORM GUIDE

Valladolid

Aug 31 Espanyol 1-0 Valladolid (La Liga)
Aug 24 Valladolid 1-0 Udinese (Friendly)
Aug 19 NEC 1-1 Valladolid (Friendly)
Aug 17 De Graafschap 3-1 Valladolid (Friendly)
Aug 15 Willem II 0-0 Valladolid (Friendly)


Atlético Madrid

Sept 1 Málaga 0-4 Atlético Madrid (La Liga)
Aug 27 Atlético Madrid 4-0 Schalke 04 (CL Qualifying)
Aug 19 Deportivo 2-1 Atlético Madrid (Friendly)
Aug 18 Sporting Gijon 3-3 Atlético Madrid (Friendly)
Aug 13 Schalke 04 1-0 Atlético Madrid (CL Qualifying)


TEAM NEWS

Valladolid

José Luis Mendilibar is set to stick with the same XI that lost to Espanyol on the opening weekend, although there are a few positions up for grabs after a poor team display. Up front, it remains to be seen whether Manuel Vivar or Kike will get the nod, after both played a half in Barcelona last week.

Similarly, in midfield it could be that Victor is preferred ahead of Borja and summer signing Aguirre could find himself shuffled around after Ogbeche impressed in the fifteen minute spell he was given.


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