La Liga: Espanyol vs Atletico Madrid, pre-match analysis and prediction

In the early morning of August 18, the first round of La Liga will be staged. Espanyol will play a home match against Atletico Madrid. The following is the preview of this game:

Espanyol: Extremely performed in the preseason, achieving an unbeaten record of 5 wins and 2 draws, including the tough battles of five major league teams such as Newcastle and a clean sheet of Girona, showing strong strength. The team is also very imposing at home, with only 2 losses in the last 13 leagues, and 71% of the points come from home. Tactics: Usually, the 5-4-1 defensive counterattack system is adopted. 35% of the team's goals last season came from counterattacks and set pieces, but there are hidden concerns about the ability to break high pressure. Facing Atletico Madrid, they may take advantage of their home court, shrink their defense, and find opportunities through counterattacks and set pieces.

Atletico Madrid: The preseason performance was moderate, with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss in 3 preseason games. At the end of last season, their away results were not stable enough, with only 2 wins in 7 away games and a goal difference of more than 1 shot in just one game. Tactics: Under Simeone's coaching, a 3-5-2 formation is generally adopted, and the wingbacks rely on the pressure to create width. But their preseason sports conversion rate was only 19%, and the problem of slow turning of the new defense line was also exposed. This time facing the Spaniard, they need to solve the problem of offensive efficiency and defense line running-in.