The Weekly Atlético Madrid Digest

Bayern come to the Metropolitano with Atlético's midfield stretched thin

No Romero, no Hjulmand, no Cardoso, a captain back from five games out and the reigning Ballon d'Or winner arriving. Then Barcelona on Sunday. Simeone's strangest strength this autumn has been a defence that barely concedes; this week tests whether it survives a depleted spine.

There are weeks that shape a season and weeks that merely fill one. This is the first kind. Atlético host Bayern Munich at the Metropolitano on Tuesday night in the Champions League, then welcome Barcelona on Sunday with first place in La Liga available to whoever wins. Two home games in five days, against two of the most powerful clubs in Europe.

Diego Simeone arrives at it on a seven-game winning run in the league and with the thinnest midfield he has had all autumn. The squad list confirmed on Tuesday morning had no Cristian Romero, no Morten Hjulmand and no Johnny Cardoso. Captain Koke is back after five matches out with a muscle injury. That is the story of the night before a ball is kicked. (beIN Sports, ABC Color)

Who plays in the middle

Hjulmand serves a suspension for the straight red card he took at Stuttgart, a studs-up challenge on Angelo Stiller that Simeone himself called fair. Cardoso has a low-grade thigh problem and misses a third straight game. That leaves Pablo Barrios, whose workload the staff are managing carefully, plus Koke, Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas. (SportsAdda, El Gol Digital)

Forbes' preview expects a 4-2-3-1 with Barrios and Koke as the pivot behind Giuliano Simeone, Kang-in Lee and Alex Baena, and Julián Álvarez up front. World Soccer Talk projects a flatter 4-4-2 with Mendoza beside Barrios. Either way, the central pairing is the least experienced or least fit combination Simeone has fielded in a big European night this season. (Forbes, World Soccer Talk)

At centre-back the question is simpler. Romero was on the bench at Levante without playing, then did not train on Sunday or Monday. Marc Pubill, who has partnered David Hancko through Romero's adductor injury, should start again. The pair kept a clean sheet in Valencia, and Pubill's form has been one of the quieter good news stories of October.

The matchup

Bayern will have the ball. They lead the Bundesliga on goal difference and have scored ten goals in three Champions League games. But they have also drawn their last two in Europe, 3-3 at Viking and 2-2 at home to Arsenal, conceding five. Without Jamal Musiala, Luis Díaz, Serge Gnabry and Ismael Saibari, and with Vincent Kompany ill, they are not at full strength either. (FC Bayern)

Atlético's case rests on the numbers since the September defeat at Liverpool: nine games unbeaten, three goals conceded, six clean sheets. Simeone's side are compact without the ball and quick to break, and Harry Kane said as much on Monday: "We know how dangerous they are in attack and on the counter-attack." The key battle is Kane dropping between the lines against whichever pivot Simeone trusts.

There is one warning sign. At Levante, Atlético allowed 20 shots, 14 from inside the box, and lost the expected-goals count 1.33 to 0.63. Jan Oblak saved all four on target. A side with Kane and Kimmich will not be as wasteful as Levante, who put only four of 20 shots on target. (SNA)

The stakes

Atlético sit 16th of 36 on four points, a point behind 14th-placed Bayern; the top eight skip the play-off round. After Bayern come Viking, PSV, Bodø/Glimt and Fenerbahçe, a run that looks kinder on paper. Win on Tuesday and the top eight becomes a realistic target. Lose, and the margin for error in the last four rounds disappears.

History helps: Bayern have never won a competitive game at Atlético's home, and Atlético are unbeaten in 16 home European games against German sides. (Infobae, FC Bayern)

Barcelona arrive with 30 points and the league's top scorer. Simeone arrives one win from owning the La Liga record outright.

Atlético are second on 28 points after 11 games, two behind Barcelona and one ahead of Real Madrid. The two leaders meet at the Metropolitano on Sunday, November 8, at 21:00 in Madrid, which is 12:00 p.m. Pacific. A home win would put Atlético top. (FC Barcelona, NBC Sports table)

Barcelona have won ten of eleven with a goal difference of +34, and Raphinha leads the league with 15 goals, ahead of Kylian Mbappé's 12 and Lamine Yamal's 10. Atlético's best league scorer is Alex Baena with five. The contrast is plain: Barcelona win by scoring, Atlético by not conceding. Atlético have conceded eight league goals in eleven games.

Saturday's win made Diego Simeone the joint holder of La Liga's record for wins by a coach, 344, level with Luis Aragonés, who needed 192 more matches to get there. Simeone has done it all with one club.

"Without that moment we would not have got here," he said of the backing he received from chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín. Win on Sunday and the record is his alone. (Diario Río Negro)

Hjulmand's ban is a UEFA one, so he should be available again on Sunday. Romero and Cardoso are the two to watch in Thursday and Friday training.

Levante 0-2 Atlético: Baena the creator, Oblak the wall

The Digest's own ratings, out of 10, informed by the match reports and statistics from SNA, Actualidad Valencia and Infobae. Everyone who played at least ten minutes is rated.

Atlético won at the Ciutat de València on Saturday with goals from Alex Grimaldo (36') and Giuliano Simeone (62'), both created by Alex Baena. It was their seventh straight league win. Levante had more shots, 20 to 11, but Atlético had more of the ball (54%) and the better finishing. (SNA, Actualidad Valencia, Infobae)

Bayern Munich: top of Germany, leaky in Europe, missing four attackers

An interim coach, a Ballon d'Or holder and five goals conceded in their last two Champions League games.

Bayern Munich top the Bundesliga on goal difference, level on 18 points with Dortmund after eight games. Saturday's 2-2 draw with Dortmund was typical of their recent games: dominant, then careless. Konrad Laimer (37') and Dayot Upamecano (66', from close range after Kane's knock-down) scored, but Guirassy equalised and Fabio Silva struck late after Bayern failed to clear a corner. (Khel Now, The Sports Encounter)

Vincent Kompany is ill, so assistant Aaron Danks takes charge again. The expected shape is a 4-2-3-1: Urbig or Neuer in goal; Laimer, Upamecano, Tah and Davies across the back; Kimmich and Pavlović in midfield; Karl, Olise and Brown behind Harry Kane, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner. (FC Bayern, World Soccer Talk)

Who to stop

Kane is the obvious one, as much for his dropping deep and passing as for his finishing; he missed a penalty against Dortmund but assisted the second goal. Michael Olise is the creative threat if he is fit after coming off as a precaution on Saturday. Joshua Kimmich runs the build-up. If Atlético's pivot can shut the lanes into Kane's feet, Bayern's attack becomes predictable.

The weakness is defending transitions and set pieces. Bayern conceded three at Viking and two at home to Arsenal, and Dortmund's equaliser came from a corner. Atlético are at their best in exactly those moments. In previous visits to Madrid, Bayern have scored only once, a Thomas Müller penalty in a 1-1 draw in 2020-21. (FC Bayern)

The centre-back question: Lisandro Martínez and life without Romero

AS reports Atlético and Barcelona are both interested in the Manchester United defender. A claim that personal terms are close is unconfirmed.

Romero's injury has exposed how thin Atlético are at centre-back after loaning out José María Giménez to Deportivo and Clément Lenglet to Benfica. Lisandro Martínez is the name now attached to that gap. According to AS, Atlético and Barcelona are both interested in the 28-year-old Argentine, whose Manchester United contract runs to June 2027. (TodoMercado, citing AS)

AS's reading is that January could be the moment United sell rather than risk losing him for nothing. On Tuesday, FourFourTwo relayed a claim from the Spanish site Fichajes that Martínez has a "preliminary agreement" on personal terms with Atlético. That claim is single-sourced and comes from an outlet we treat as a lead, not proof; FourFourTwo itself says he is still some way from agreeing to leave. (FourFourTwo)

Certainty: concrete interest (AS). Personal terms: unconfirmed rumour. Martínez was named in Argentina's November squad on Tuesday alongside Julián Álvarez and Giuliano Simeone, so the dressing-room connections are there.

Matteo Moretto and Marca report Atlético have opened contacts for the 21-year-old Serbia international.

Sporting director Mateu Alemany's preference for young players with resale value is well established, and Stefan Džodić fits it. The 21-year-old Serbia international plays for Almería in the second division, stands 1.90 metres and is strong in the air. He recently renewed until 2032 with a release clause of €40 million. (Esto es Atleti)

Matteo Moretto reported on Monday that Atlético are moving for him (Esto es Atleti), and Marca says the club are talking to his representatives about a move with the 2027-28 season in mind. Nothing has been agreed. The good relationship between the two clubs could bring the price below the clause. (Get Spanish Football News via Yahoo)

Certainty: concrete interest, early contacts with the player's camp (Moretto, Marca). No bid reported.

The Canadian is three goals into a loan that carries an option to buy.

Jonathan David joined on loan from Juventus on deadline day, September 1, and Spanish media put the option to buy at about €25 million. Forbes counts three goals and two assists in nine appearances, and has him ahead of Alexander Sørloth in the queue behind Julián Álvarez. Whether Atlético take up that option will be one of the spring's quieter but important decisions. (SuperSport, Forbes)

The Rumour Mill

Nicolò Tresoldi: Mundo Deportivo said on October 15 that Atlético are following the striker. Rumour; no movement since. Johan Vásquez: AS (October 8) put the Mexican centre-back on the radar. Rumour, but more relevant with Romero injured. Santiago Beltrán: El Desmarque (September 29) linked the River Plate goalkeeper, named in Argentina's squad on Tuesday. Rumour. (FutbolFantasy)

A January striker: several Spanish sites say Simeone wants another forward. We have not found it in a tier-one outlet, so treat it as a lead only. Obed Vargas: listed as available to leave in September after turning down offers; he made Tuesday's squad. Watch rather than act.

Pubill's October, Lookman's problem and Álvarez's slow burn

A defence that keeps clean sheets is masking an attack still finding its shape.

Diego Simeone has used both a 4-4-2 and a 4-2-3-1 this autumn, and the selection pattern is clear: Atlético trust the back four first. Marc Pubill has filled in for Romero without the defence dipping, and Alex Grimaldo, signed from Leverkusen for €22 million, has added goals from left-back. Baena leads the club's league scorers with five.

Up front it has been slower. Julián Álvarez did not score until October 20 at Stuttgart, his first goal since April 29 against Arsenal. It earned ten men a point. At Levante his night ended after 66 minutes. (SportsAdda)

Lookman under pressure

Ademola Lookman was taken off at half-time in two consecutive league games in October, and AS's ratings were blunt about his lack of confidence against defenders. By Transfermarkt's count he had two goal involvements in 11 appearances by mid-October. He did set up Álvarez's goal at Stuttgart after coming on at half-time; that is the version Simeone needs. (Legit.ng, citing AS)

Koke's return gives Simeone his captain back for the two biggest games of the autumn, although he has not played in almost a month. Barrios is the only fully fit regular in central midfield, and the staff are managing his workload. Alexander Sørloth, the club's top scorer last season with 19, is trying to win back minutes. (El Gol Digital)

The Juvenil A beat Bayern 4-1 and are unbeaten in Europe

Gabriel Obama scored twice in Alcalá on Tuesday afternoon; the Madrileño drew again.

Atlético's under-19s beat Bayern Munich 4-1 in the UEFA Youth League on Tuesday at the Estadio Atlético de Madrid in Alcalá de Henares. Joel Sanchez opened with a solo goal after 11 minutes; Matous Srb equalised after 40 minutes, but a Cassiano Kiala own goal restored the lead before half-time and Gabriel Obama scored twice early in the second half. (Sport1)

That makes ten points from four games: 2-2 against Liverpool, 3-0 against Manchester United, 4-2 against Stuttgart and now 4-1. Obama, Sanchez and Gonzalo Gross were each on two goals before Tuesday. (FC Bayern preview)

Atlético Madrileño

The reserve side drew 1-1 with Alcorcón on Friday, October 30, their third draw in four games. After ten rounds of Primera Federación they have two wins, five draws and three defeats, 11 points. Their next game is away to CE Europa on Sunday, November 8. (BeSoccer)

Three Madrileño players, full-back Romeo Hueso, Jorge Castillo and Jorge Domínguez, were named in the first-team squad for Bayern, a direct result of the injuries. Rodrigo Mendoza, Arnau Ortiz and goalkeeper Salvi Esquivel are already part of the senior group.

On loan

José María Giménez said in October that he asked Atlético not to include a clause stopping him playing against them at Deportivo: "I want to play every match, or at least be available." He has two seasons left on his Atlético contract. We could not verify fresh updates this week on Lenglet at Benfica, Lemar at Elche, Carlos Martín at Hajduk Split or Moldovan at Eyüpspor. (Plano Informativo)

A 1-1 in Granada ends a three-game winning run

David González's side are fourth after nine games and host Badalona next Monday.

Atlético Femenino drew 1-1 at Granada on Saturday, October 31, in Liga F's ninth round. It ended a run of three straight wins, the last two by 4-0 against Madrid CFF and Valencia. We could not confirm the scorers from a primary source. (LaLiga results, Atletimedia)

Under David González, who took over on July 1, the record is five wins, one draw and three defeats: 16 points, with 19 goals scored and 12 conceded. All three defeats came away from home, at Real Madrid, Barcelona and Athletic Club. 365Scores has them fourth. (365Scores)

Who is carrying them

Norwegian forward Synne Jensen had seven goals before the trip to Granada. In midfield, Maite Zubieta, Fiamma Benítez and Natalia Peñalvo supply most of the chances, and Gio Garbelini and Celia Segura add goals. Jensen, Zubieta, Garbelini and Peñalvo shared the goals in the last two wins. (Atletimedia)

Next: Badalona at the Centro Deportivo Wanda on Monday, November 9 (18:00 local time per 365Scores, which is 9:00 a.m. Pacific). Then away to Sevilla on November 15 and Eibar on November 21.

Three Atlético players called up by Argentina

This week's duty is in Europe; international lists for the November window are coming in.

Argentina named their squad on Tuesday for friendlies against Uruguay at Boca Juniors' stadium on November 13 and Costa Rica in Córdoba on November 17. Atlético have three players in it: Julián Álvarez, Giuliano Simeone and goalkeeper Juan Musso. The injured Romero is not included. (Infobae)

Lisandro Martínez, the Manchester United defender linked with Atlético, is also in the squad, as is Thiago Almada, sold to River Plate in the summer. Other federations' lists for the November window had not all been published when we went to press; we will cover them next week.

This week every Atlético player's European duty is with the club: Bayern on Tuesday. The women's team has no international break this week.

Owners. Apollo Sports Capital is Atlético's majority shareholder; an analysis of Apollo's new European lending platform asks how it would handle loans to clubs that compete with Atlético. (The ESK)

Spending limit. LaLiga raised Atlético's squad cost limit to a club-record €361 million after the summer window, up from €336 million in the winter. (Esto es Atleti, citing Relevo)

Summer balance. FutbolFantasy puts Atlético's net summer spending at €89.6 million. (FutbolFantasy)

Supercopa date. ESPN's fixture list has Atlético playing Barcelona in the Supercopa on Tuesday, February 2. (ESPN)

Bayern's bench. Vincent Kompany is ill and will miss the trip; assistant Aaron Danks leads Bayern again. (FC Bayern)

The week ahead

All kickoff times converted to Pacific. Then the international break; La Liga returns with Getafe on November 22.