The Metropolitano is once again the best news: Atlético de Madrid, celebrating

Atlético de Madrid debuts at the Metropolitano: a tough nut to crack

The Colchoneros face Girona today, who hope to make things difficult for Cholo and company

The summer break has come to an end and LaLiga is back in style. After a first matchday full of goals, excitement and great moments, this second matchday of the calendar offers us some great matches like the one we will have today at the Metropolitano .

Atlético de Madrid and Girona will face each other at the Colchoneros fortress in the first duel of the season between the two. Atlético returns home after three months without setting foot on their ground, where they hope to continue the same trend as last year.

Image of a typhus in the Metropolitan
The keys to the Metropolitano match | Atlético de Madrid

With a thrilling duel between two of the best teams in the competition, the spectacle is on the cards.

The keys to the Metropolitano match

After both teams drew on the first day of the championship, both Míchel and Diego Pablo Simeone want to start adding three points in the 24/25 . Tonight, the Catalans will have a hard time staying overnight in an almost impregnable stadium, where Atlético is growing.

The match, which will take place at 21:30 , will see the debut of the new Atlético de Madrid signings in what will be their home for the next few years. The Metropolitano already welcomed the new Atlético de Madrid signings last Wednesday. However, it will be the first time they wear shorts.

Illuminated football stadium during a night match with fans in the stands.
Atlético de Madrid, ready to give their fans their first win of the season at the Metropolitano | @Atleti

With Sorloth, Le Normand and Julián Alvarez all set to make the starting 11 , only recently signed Conor Gallagher is expected to be on the bench.

Girona set to surprise Atlético de Madrid at the Metropolitano

The arrival of new signings will play a key role tonight, given the magnitude and quality of the players that both teams have brought in. Girona , who have brought in great players such as Abel Ruiz and Van de Beek , want to present Atlético with an uncomfortable match.

Cholo 's men, for their part, want to take on a more dominant role that will suffocate Michel 's team until they find the reward of a goal. Avoiding misses behind the defence, as happened at La Cerámica , Atlético will have to be alert to counterattacks and take advantage of the opportunities their forwards have.

Aspects to improve

Villarreal knew how to understand what the match required last Monday in the league opener against Atlético de Madrid . Marcelino played an intelligent game, dominating the ball for several stretches of the match and keeping the attacks of the red-and-whites at bay. The absence of Sorloth in the second half meant, directly or indirectly, a drop in the Atlético team, disorganized and lacking ideas for a good part of the second half.

Oblak 's error cost AtléticoVillarreal their second goal, but the Norwegian narrowed the gap thanks to his enormous size.

Name of the Atlético de Madrid club outside the Metropolitano stadium
Girona set to surprise Atlético de Madrid at the Metropolitano | Atlético de Madrid

With the mindset set on polishing those defensive mistakes and materialising the opportunities that are available, Simeone knows that tonight he has to bring out all his arsenal. El Cholo has been trying out different combinations with the men up front, among which the figure of Julián Alvarez stands out. Julián has been the subject of experiments by his new coach and aims to be an undisputed part of the 11 that Simeone will display tomorrow at the Metropolitano .

Will "The Spider" bite at the Metropolitano?

The Argentine set out to achieve important things at a club that has given him its love, support and confidence from the first minute. Julián has been the Atlético star of this transfer market and also the man who has generated the most excitement for a fan base that has surrendered to its star. With the certainty that he will start today against Girona , there is only one question that remains: will " La Araña " bite?