Winless in three La Liga matches, Atlético Madrid (16-9-4, 57 points) are hoping to return to winning ways with an away trip to Sevilla FC (9-9-11, 36 points) on Sunday afternoon (16:15 CET).

After seeing their domestic season effectively end trophy-less with exits in the Champions League and Copa del Rey, amid a nine-point gap to leaders FC Barcelona in the league, Atlético will want to secure third place in the table at the very least this term, especially after a fourth-place finish in 2023/24.

Sevilla come into this match with only one win in their last five — their season far off from what their ambitions would suggest. Without any real threat of relegation that they have experienced in the last couple of campaigns, the Andalusians are still a ways away from competing for the top European places. Currently sat 11th and 11 points off city rivals Real Betis, they have stuck by manager Xavier García Pimienta, who is now their longest serving manager since Julen Lopetegui left in 2022.

Earlier this season, the two sides played out an epic encounter; Atlético came back from 3-1 down to end up 4-3 winners thanks to a last-gasp Antoine Griezmann strike. In that match, Sevilla showed the threat they possess — Dodi Lukebakio and Isaac Romero were both on the scoresheet that day. Los Colchoneros have the upper hand in the recent record between the two, winning five of the last six encounters in La Liga.

Team news

The squad returned to training on Friday, with recovery work the priority following Wednesday night’s cup match. In final preparations on Saturday, there were two absentees due to injury: Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino. The former has suffered a thigh injury in the right leg, the latter a muscular problem in the left. Neither will feature against Sevilla.

De Paul and Lino are suffering from low-grade muscle injuries. Our players have undergone medical tests which have confirmed the extent of their injuries.

Both players will undergo physiotherapy sessions and rehabilitation work in the gym and the evolution of their injuries will… pic.twitter.com/nm4NQcvar1

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) April 5, 2025

To fill the center midfield spot would likely be Marcos Llorente, allowing Conor Gallagher to fill the left flank spot. Club captain Koke is available, unlikely to start, but potentially appearing from the bench to be reintroduced to first-team action.

Also missing from the match will be Ángel Correa, completing his fourth of five matches out for his red card against Getafe CF. José María Giménez will join him on the naughty list, accumulating one too many yellow cards from recent matches. Logic would suggest the central defensive partnership will be made up of Clément Lenglet and Robin Le Normand.

Going forward, there has been no indication to suggest the usual pairing of Griezmann and Julián Alvarez won’t start together, but Alexander Sørloth’s introduction in midweek certainly changed the dynamic of the Atleti attack to a more intense one. The inclusion of Rodrigo Riquelme is also probable, whether from the start in a wide position, or later on in a second striker role.

Whatever the lineup, the players need a lift, something to motivate them to finish the season strong. A total of 84 points in La Liga is still obtainable, a number only possible to win the league in two of the past 20 years, but respectable nonetheless. Former defender Diego Godín is clear on who he thinks is the perfect man to elevate the players:

Predicted lineup

Oblak; Molina, Le Normand, Lenglet, Galán; Giuliano Simeone, Llorente, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez.