Atléticode Madrid 's league debut is just around the corner. Diego Pablo Simeone 's men will open the season against a team that has always put them on the ropes in every visit they have made to their stadium. Villarreal at the Estadio de la Cerámica is one of the big clubs on their home turf in LaLiga , so it will not be an easy encounter.
For this reason, the Argentine coach has been working hard for several weeks in search of the best possible eleven to face Marcelino García 's boys. There will be several new faces in this match, as Robin Le Normand and Alexander Sorloth , newcomers to Atlético de Madrid , are expected to be starters in defence and up front. On the other hand, everything seems to indicate that Julián Alvarez will have to wait to play his first minutes with the red and white.
However, there is another player who could be fundamental for Cholo Simeone . In defence, alongside the Spanish-French player César Azpilicueta , there will be the tireless Axel Witsel . The Belgian, 34 years old, will be under scrutiny to see if he can maintain the level of last season where he shone above his teammates in the defensive line.
His defensive ability, the least of his worries
However, if there is something that should worry Villarreal it is not his defensive qualities, which are also important, but his offensive capabilities. And the fact is that Axel Wetisel has a high percentage of goals against the yellow submarine since he arrived at Atlético de Madrid . So much so that the Belgian's only two goals with the red and white have been against Villarreal last season.
The first came on matchday 13 after he caught a pass from Antoine Griezmann who wandered around the area until Axel Wetisel , as a "9", put it in. It was a crucial goal in that match, as he scored the equalizer just before half-time, being a very important psychological goal. So much so that in the second half Simeone 's men managed to come back with a goal from the Frenchman and another from Samuel Lino .
Finally, on matchday 30 of LaLiga , already at La Cerámica , Axel Witsel would score again against Villarreal . This time it would be with a header after finishing off a good ball from Rodrigo Riquelme at the near post that was unstoppable for Jörgensen. He opened the scoring that night, although Atlético deMadrid was forced to increase the lead after the 1-1 draw with a goal from Saúl Ñíguez .
Given this, it would not be surprising if Marcelino García 's defenders did not keep an eye on Axel Witsel as if he were just another centre forward. And despite not being a player who has scored in his time with Atlético de Madrid , he can appear when you least expect it. This is demonstrated by his goals, where the Belgian managed to finish without any yellow player covering him.
It will be one of the topics of the match without a doubt. Therefore, we will have to pay close attention to the decisions that the Villarreal coach will make, who will have to keep a close eye on all the Atlético de Madrid players. Among them, Axel Witsel who seems to have chosen the yellow submarine to score his goals.