Espanyol vs Atletico Madrid

The two teams that have experienced contrasting fortunes in La Liga this season go head-to-head at the RCDE Stadium as Espanyol meet Atletico Madrid.

Despite taking Segunda Division by storm last season to return to La Liga after a season away as the second-tier champions, Espanyol have endured a torrid start to the 2021/22 top-flight campaign. The hosts head into proceedings as the only side in La Liga yet to find the back of the net this season. After playing back-to-back goalless draws with Osasuna and Villarreal, the ‘Periquitos‘ succumbed to a narrow 1-0 loss to fellow newcomers Mallorca last time out. As a result, the Catalan side have now failed to score in eight La Liga matches in a row and could set an unwanted record if they draw a blank here. A run of three consecutive top-flight H2Hs without losing (W2, D1) could inspire Espanyol, with both wins in this sequence yielding a clean sheet.

On the other hand, Atletico Madrid opened their La Liga campaign with consecutive one-goal margin wins over Celta Vigo and Elche before being held to a 2-2 home draw to Villarreal last time out. Despite boasting one of the best defensive records in Europe’s top-five leagues, ‘Los Colchoneros‘ have kept just one clean sheet in their last six La Liga outings, having registered a shutout six times in their previous nine games in the competition. Antoine Griezmann’s blockbuster return from Barcelona in the final days of the summer transfer window could be an immediate upgrade on Diego Simeone’s current attacking options. The Frenchman has netted five career goals against Espanyol. That’s particularly significant, given that ‘Los Rojiblancos‘ have scored under 1.5 goals in six of their last eight away La Liga fixtures.