Eight victories in a row without a fault in LaLiga – that was the impressive streak Atlético had between their only two defeats of the season. This winning stretch saw them dominate the likes of Las Palmas, Mallorca, Alavés, Valladolid, Sevilla, Getafe, Barça, and Osasuna, hauling in 24 points and narrowing the gap from 11 points behind the leader to take the top spot in the classification.
The recent bump in the road for Simeone’s team, which included a win, three draws against Villarreal, Madrid, and Celta, and a loss to Leganés, hasn’t done too much damage, considering they’re only a point behind the leaders in the table. The two LaLiga powerhouses are currently ahead, but the margin is slim.
Yesterday’s triumph by Barça against Rayo returned them to the top position after they had managed four wins in a row and a single draw in Getafe, following their defeat by Atlético in Montjuic. This shift now puts Barça a point above Atlético.
Similarly, Real Madrid isn’t experiencing the best streak this season either, having drawn with Atlético, fallen to Espanyol, and matched Osasuna, securing only 8 out of 15 possible points. This keeps them tied at the top with Barça and just a point ahead of Atlético.
Vital Mestalla … and Athletic
Given the tight squeeze in the classification, Atlético needs to get back on track in LaLiga. This Saturday, they visit a Valencia team fighting to stay out of the relegation zone. These are three essential points to keep up the pressure on the leaders, much like the points they’ll be playing for against Athletic a week later. In that match, a defeat could complicate their hold on third place, as Athletic is currently five points behind. A win, however, would put Simeone’s team comfortably ahead of Valverde’s.