Atletico Madrid’s manager, Diego Simeone, remains composed despite the team’s winless start to the La Liga season. As they prepare to face Alaves, Simeone stresses the importance of patience and continued improvement. Key players to watch include Jon Guridi for Alaves and Alexander Sorloth for Atletico Madrid. Despite some challenges, Atletico Madrid is favored to win, according to Opta’s probability assessment.
Diego Simeone is maintaining a calm demeanor despite Atletico Madrid's slow start to the 2025-26 La Liga season. As they prepare for their upcoming match against Alaves, the pressure is on to secure their first victory.
Atletico Madrid has yet to win in their two La Liga matches this season. They suffered a 2-1 defeat to Espanyol in the opening match and were then held to a 1-1 draw by Elche in their home opener last week. This winless streak has raised concerns among fans and analysts alike, as Atletico aims to compete at the top of the league.
Under Diego Simeone's guidance, Atletico has never started a season with three consecutive winless matches in La Liga. The last time they experienced such a slow start was in 2009-10 under Abel Resino, when they went without a win in their first five matches, drawing three and losing two. Simeone is determined to avoid a repeat of that scenario.
Simeone acknowledged the challenges that come with integrating several new players into the squad. He emphasized that patience will be key as the team continues to gel and find its rhythm. The club was very active in the transfer window with many arrivals and departures.
"It’s always difficult to give scores to the work being done with so many new people," Simeone said during Friday’s pre-match press conference. "The team has worked well in these matches, with areas for improvement, especially defensively. But anything less than picking up points is not positive, especially in our position."
He added, "We have to focus on improvements, on continuing to build on what went well and, above all, on staying calm. In difficult times, we have to face them calmly in order to play the game the way we want to."
Atletico Madrid has been active in the transfer market, signing 10 players, including attackers Alex Baena, Thiago Almada, and Giacomo Raspadori. Simultaneously, 12 players have departed, including Samuel Lino and Angel Correa. These changes have necessitated a period of adjustment as the team seeks to find its optimal formation and strategy. Simeone is still open to more changes.
"As always at the end of the transfer window, we are keeping an eye on everything until the last day," Simeone stated. "I’m completely open at this stage to someone coming in or leaving, always with tension and talking daily with the board to finalise the squad as we need to."
In the lab pic.twitter.com/yMd0I2AKx0
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 28, 2025
Players to Watch
Alaves – Jon Guridi
Jon Guridi has a knack for scoring against Atletico Madrid, with two of his seven La Liga goals coming in six matches against them. Atletico is the only top-flight opponent he has scored against multiple times. His performance will be crucial for Alaves as they seek to exploit any defensive vulnerabilities in the Atletico side.
Atletico Madrid – Alexander Sorloth
Alexander Sorloth has been in impressive form, scoring 13 goals in 19 La Liga matches in 2025. Only Kylian Mbappe (24) has scored more in the competition since the start of the year. Sorloth's ability to find the net will be vital for Atletico as they look to overcome their early-season struggles. His link-up play with fellow forward Julian Alvarez, who has also scored 13 goals, could unlock the Alaves defense.
Atletico Madrid unleashed 37 crosses into the box in their previous match, their highest tally in La Liga since November 2023. This tactic could play to Sorloth's strengths, as he is adept at converting crosses into goals.
Match Prediction – Atletico Madrid Win
Alaves coach Eduardo Coudet has yet to secure a victory against Atletico Madrid in five La Liga matches (D2 L3). His struggles against Atletico could continue, given the pressure on Simeone's team to secure a win.
Alaves has been strong at home, remaining unbeaten in their last five La Liga matches (W3 D2). However, Atletico's need for a win and their superior squad quality may prove decisive.
Atletico Madrid has struggled to keep clean sheets, conceding three goals in their first two matches. Despite their defensive issues, their attacking talent should enable them to outscore Alaves.
While Atletico Madrid has faced teething problems after a busy transfer window, their individual quality makes them the favorites to secure three points on Saturday. The team has quality throughout the squad and the experience of Simeone should prove to be enough to get them over the line.
Opta Win Probability
- Alaves – 23.2%
- Atletico Madrid – 51.1%
- Draw – 25.7%