Atletico Madrid vs Elche Preview

La Liga returns this Thursday as Atletico Madrid take on Elche in the 15th round of the 2022/23 La Liga season.

Atletico will look to bounce back from an inconsistent start to the season when they welcome Elche to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

The hosts went into the World Cup break on the back of a disappointing 1-0 loss to Real Mallorca. That loss was their fourth loss of the season and their third game without a win since their 3-2 win over Real Betis in October.

And so they come into this round of games sitting outside of the top four, albiet on goal difference alone.

With pressure now mounting on long-serving coach Diego Simeone and the impact of their exit from the Champions League and Europa League, the hosts will be desperate to hit the ground running and exorcise the demons of poor form as they restart the season.

Since losing to Mallorca, Atletico have won their Copa del Rey games against Almazan and Arantiero, scoring five times and so they will be optimistic of getting a win in this game against a struggling Elche side.

Like their hosts, Elche have won their last two competitive games in the Copa del Rey yet they come into this game on a three-game losing run in the league.

They are the worst performing side in Europe’s top five leagues having not won a game this season (D4, L10). They have conceded 31 times this season and have scored just ten times. They come into this tie as the clear underdogs.

A win here seems unlikely considering their form and head-to-head record against Atletico but having rested during the World Cup break, they could be slightly optimistic about springing a surprise.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Spanish Primera Liga:

Spanish Primera Liga Table