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NederlandAtletico Madrid will be looking to continue their apparent charge towards the La Liga title when they welcome Celta Vigo to the Spanish capital on Monday night.
Diego Simeone's side are currently top of the table, 10 points clear of second-placed Barcelona with a game in hand, while Celta currently sit in 10th position, five points off the top seven.
Match preview
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Atletico's league form this season has been staggering, winning 16, drawing two and losing just one of their 19 matches to sit 10 points clear at the top of the table.
Simeone's side also currently have a game in hand over second-placed Barca and third-placed Real Madrid, although the two biggest sides in Spain will both be in action over the weekend and therefore the advantage could be seven points by the time that Atletico take to the field for this contest.
The Red and Whites have only conceded 10 times in La Liga this season, which is the best defensive record, while they have managed 40 goals, which is the second-best attacking record behind Barca.
Atletico, who last won La Liga in 2013-14, are actually on an eight-game winning run in the league, including a 4-2 success at Cadiz last weekend, where Luis Suarez scored another two goals to make it 14 in 16 La Liga outings for his new club.
Simeone's team will be expecting to put another three points on the board here, but Celta held the capital side to a goalless draw when they locked horns at Wanda Metropolitano last season.
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Celta have won six, drawn seven and lost eight of their 21 league matches this term to collect 25 points, which has left them in 10th position in the table heading into the latest set of fixtures.
There is certainly a possibility that the Sky Blues will have dropped a few places before they take to the field for this match, but an upturn in form has allowed them to move clear of the relegation zone.
Celta actually on a five-game winless run in Spain's top flight, including back-to-back draws with Eibar and Granada, but they were excellent in the latter stages of 2020, winning five of their six matches between November 29 and December 30 to move up the table under new head coach Eduardo Coudet.
Los Celestes have only won one of their 11 league games on their travels this season, though, and are heading to an Atletico team with the best home record in 2020-21, having won nine and drawn one of their 10 matches at Wanda Metropolitano, conceding just three times in the process.
Atletico Madrid La Liga form: WWWWWW
Atletico Madrid form (all competitions): WLWWWW
Celta Vigo La Liga form: WLLLDD
Celta Vigo form (all competitions): LLLLDD
Team News
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Atletico will be without the services of Joao Felix, Moussa Dembele, Mario Hermoso and Yannick Carrasco on Monday as all four players have recently tested positive for coronavirus, while Kieran Trippier is still suspended.
Felix's absence in the final third could see Angel Correa earn a spot alongside Suarez, while Sime Vrsaljko is also in line to feature in a wing-back position for the league leaders.
Saul Niguez could again keep out Renan Lodi on the left, and there are not expected to be many surprises elsewhere with Marcos Llorente, Koke and Thomas Lemar all set to feature once again.
As for Celta, Sergio Alvarez and David Junca are still unavailable for selection through injury, but the visitors are otherwise in good shape heading into Monday's contest.
The bulk of the XI that started the goalless draw with Granada last time out should remain in place, with Brais Mendez, Nolito, Iago Aspas and Santi Mina all in line to feature.
There could be a change in midfield, though, with Denis Suarez potentially coming in for Fran Beltran, which would allow Renato Tapia to again operate in a deeper position for the visitors.
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Savic, Gimenez, Felipe; Vrsaljko, Llorente, Koke, Lemar, Saul; Correa, Suarez
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Blanco; Mallo, Araujo, Murillo, Martin; Tapia; Mendez, Suarez, Nolito; Mina, Aspas
We say: Atletico Madrid 2-0 Celta Vigo
Atletico are very difficult to back against at the moment considering their form, particularly at home, where they are incredibly tough to overcome. Celta are capable of making it a difficult match, but we fully expect Simeone's side to put their 17th league win of the campaign on the board.
