Espanyol take on the visitors Atletico Madrid in the round 1 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Sunday, August 17th at RCDE Stadium (Cornella de Llobregat).
Espanyol are a club with ambition and history, but they also know the risk of becoming a yo-yo team between La Liga and Segunda — or even getting stuck in the second tier. Just a year ago, they only managed promotion through the playoffs. Newly promoted teams often struggle, and Espanyol were no exception, yet they ultimately had a decent campaign. Survival was secured in dramatic fashion: Leganés finished 18th with 40 points and went down, while Espanyol held on with 42 points, ending up 14th. One of their key players, goalkeeper Joan García, has since joined neighbors Barcelona, but the transfer fee allowed the club to strengthen. Now, experienced keeper Marko Dmitrović, signed on a free, could step in as the new No. 1.
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Atlético were not fully satisfied with last season. In 2024, Los Colchoneros even finished below Girona, which triggered a major squad overhaul with several big signings. For much of the campaign, they competed closely with Real Madrid and Barcelona, but eventually slipped behind and settled for third place. Their European journey was also frustrating — knocked out of the Champions League on penalties by their city rivals and eliminated by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinals. To make matters worse, they failed to get out of the group stage at the Club World Cup. Still, Diego Simeone’s position remains untouchable, and another round of squad reshuffling followed this summer. Veterans like Witsel, De Paul, Saúl, Lino, Lemar, and Correa have moved on, while reinforcements such as Cardozo, Almada, Pubill, and Ganzko have been brought in — and more may yet follow.
Remarkably, the last four meetings between these sides all ended in draws, underlining how evenly matched they often are. The hosts will at least try to put up a fight, and with both teams in transition, a bet on both teams to score looks appealing.
Prediction for the match: Both teams to score – yes.
