Atletico Madrid will look to extend their stay at the top of La Liga standings when they travel to Leganes in matchday 20 on Saturday. This match at the Estadio Municipal Butarque between the 16th-placed Los Pepineros and the top-placed Colchoneros comes with our prediction of an away win.
Leganes has 19 points and is just three above the relegation zone, while Atletico has 44 points and is one above Real Madrid. Leganes won 3-2 away against Almeria in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday for a third win in five matches.
Their league form has been all over the place, though, with just one win (D2, L3) in their last six matches. All three defeats came at this venue, which puts a question mark over their chances here.
Atletico is also coming off a win, a 4-0 thrashing of Elche in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday. That was their 15th consecutive win, eight of which came in the league. As they look to stay atop the standings, Atletico will be aware that their slender one-point lead doesn’t give them too much leeway of dropping points.
The visitors won the reverse fixture and have won nine in a row on the road, something which gives them hope of extending their stay at the top with a win.
Recently, Leganés qualified for the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. The victim of the club from the Madrid suburbs was Almería (3:2). Borja Jiménez managed to surprise the team playing in Segunda. An interesting tactical twist was the head coach’s choice of a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Meanwhile, throughout the season, Leganés traditionally uses a setup with five defenders. Much of Renato Tapia’s versatility allows the “Pepineros” coaching staff to make such adjustments.
Currently, the club from the capital’s suburbs is in 16th place, with 19 points to their name. It is noteworthy that Borja Jiménez’s team shows the worst expected goals figure – only 16.30 after 19 rounds.
Atlético’s winning streak has reached 15 matches. The away victory over Elche (4:0) in the Copa del Rey round of 16 confirmed the “Colchoneros'” intentions regarding winning the tournament. Additionally, Diego Simeone and company remain one of the main contenders for the championship title in Spain.
Currently, the “Indians” lead the league table, one point ahead of Real Madrid. The Argentine specialist does not favor any particular tactical formation. Typically, Atlético employs hardworking wing-backs capable of playing along the entire flank and offering themselves in midfield.
Setting up in a 5-4-1 formation when defending allows the team to maintain compactness in lines. The capital club is characterized by having the best defense in the league – 0.63 goals conceded per match.
