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Atlético Madrid are in England to continue what has been an eventful preseason to this point. Diego Simeone’s team are getting set for preseason friendly #4, this one against Premier League minnows Brighton at their Amex Stadium.
Earlier this week, Atlético won the Audi Cup at Allianz Arena after fending off Liverpool in the penalty shootout. Prior to the win over the Reds, Atleti came from behind to topple Napoli and played out a goalless draw against Toluca in Mexico. The intensity of the team’s performances has increased in each game, as has the diversity of contributions from throughout the squad; Fernando Torres and Luciano Vietto completed the comeback against Napoli, while Keidi Bare scored and Thomas Partey stood out against Liverpool.
Brighton, meanwhile, are gearing up for a long-awaited return to the top flight. The Seagulls were runners-up in the Championship last season and secured top-flight football for the first time in over three decades. Former Valencia goalkeeper Mat Ryan is among the club’s standout signings this summer.
Atleti are back in England for the first time since the second leg of April’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Leicester City, which saw Saúl Ñíguez’s vein-popping header secure Atleti’s progression to the semifinals.
Atlético squad
Lista de convocados para Brighton (1/2): Moyá, Oblak, Godín, Savic, Lucas, Juanfran, Giménez, Sergi, Koke, Carrasco, Augusto... #AúpaAtleti
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) August 5, 2017
Lista de convocados para Brighton (2/2): Gabi, Thomas, Gaitán, Keidi, Amath, Griezmann, Fernando Torres, Correa y Vietto #AúpaAtleti
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) August 5, 2017
Canteranos Kidi, Sergi González and Amath Ndiaye will get further chances to impress, as will Vietto. Key absences include Saúl (upping training regimen), Kévin Gameiro (recovering from groin operation), Filipe Luís and Šime Vrsaljko (rest). Matías Kranevitter and Rafael Santos Borré were left behind as well, with both players on the verge of moves away. Kranevitter has completed a medical for Zenit Saint Petersburg, and Santos Borré has done the same for River Plate.
How to watch
Location: The Amex Stadium, Brighton, England
Kick-off time: 17:00 CEST, 16:00 BST/GMT, 11:00 AM EST, 8:00 PST
SB Nation opposition blog: N/A
Available TV/radio/streaming: Gol (Spain), BBC Radio (UK), WatchESPN/ESPN3 (US)
For more listings, head over to livesoccertv.com.
Prediction
Brighton 1-2 Atlético. Goals from Torres and Ángel Correa.