Atlético Madrid Aim to Maintain Unbeaten Start at San Mamés

Atlético Madrid walk into San Mamés on Saturday evening with something they do not intend to surrender easily: momentum.

Diego Simeone’s side sit third in La Liga after three games, unbeaten, quietly ominous and already looking sharper than last season’s stuttering start. Seven points on the board, seven goals scored, three conceded. Efficient. Nasty in the right areas. Familiar hallmarks of a team that knows exactly what it wants to be.

Their campaign opened with a controlled 2-0 win over Málaga CF at the Metropolitano, a performance that set the tone. Then came a wild 2-2 draw with Villarreal CF, a reminder that this retooled Atlético are willing to trade punches when the game opens up. Any doubts about their cutting edge were largely swept away in the third act: a 3-1 away win at Sevilla FC, the sort of statement result that tends to travel around the league quickly.

Now comes a different kind of test. San Mamés does not forgive softness. Athletic Club will press, harry and challenge every duel in front of their own crowd. Atlético arrive looking like themselves again, but this is where that belief gets properly examined.

Álvarez stays, David arrives, Sørloth out

The build-up in Madrid has been dominated by one name and one rumour that refused to go away all summer: Julián Álvarez.

Barcelona circled, speculation swirled, and illness kept the forward out of recent training sessions. The story threatened to drag into the autumn. It didn’t. Álvarez trained fully this week and is back in the matchday squad. For Simeone, that’s a significant box ticked before a ball is even kicked in Bilbao.

There is bad news up front, though. Alexander Sørloth, the main reference point at centre-forward, remains out as he recovers from a muscle injury picked up in mid-August. His physical presence and penalty-box weight will be missed in a stadium where set pieces and aerial duels often decide the mood of the night.

Midfielder Obed Vargas is also still sidelined, trimming Simeone’s options in the middle of the park.

Just as that list starts to look worrying, a new attacking option steps into the frame. Late-window loan signing Jonathan David has been named in the squad and could make his first La Liga appearance. The Canadian’s movement and penalty-area instincts offer a different profile to Sørloth; if the game breaks open, he is exactly the sort of striker who can punish tired legs.

Le Normand returns to anchor the back line

At the other end of the pitch, Atlético’s defensive structure receives a timely reinforcement.

Robin Le Normand has completed his suspension and is expected to go straight back into the starting XI. His return restores balance and leadership to a back line that has already looked relatively secure, but will face a far more direct aerial bombardment at San Mamés.

With Le Normand back, Simeone can lean into his preferred blend of aggression and control, trusting his defence to hold while the front four look for transitions and quick combinations.

Predicted Atlético Madrid XI

Simeone’s likely starting lineup in Bilbao:

Oblak; Llorente, Hancko, Pubill, Grimaldo; Barrios, Hjulmand; Simeone, Kang-in, Lookman; Baena.

It is a side built to run, to press and to spring forward quickly, with creativity tucked in behind the lone striker and full-backs capable of pushing high when the moment is right.

Kick-off time and TV details

Athletic Club vs Atlético Madrid kicks off at 3:15pm BST on Saturday, 5th September.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the game live on LALIGATV.

Three games in, Atlético already look like contenders. San Mamés will reveal whether they are ready to sound like them too.