This Sunday, June 15, Paris Saint-Germain take on Atlético de Madrid at the Rose Bowl Stadium (kick-off 9pm, CET) as part of Matchday 1 of the group phase of the 2025 Club World Cup. And as before every match, here’s a presentation of the Parisians’ opponents.
The situation of Atlético Madrid –
Atlético is a great historical club, founded in 1903, and for some time accustomed to playing the leading roles in La Liga and occasionally in the Champions League. Their last league title was in 2021, the 11th for the club, which is still struggling to overtake Barcelona and Real Madrid. In the Champions League, there have been 3 finals (1974, 2014 and 2016), while 3 Europa League titles have been won (2010, 2012 and 2018).
Coach Diego Simeone has been with the club for an impressive length of time, having signed in 2011 and is still in place, despite rumours of his departure from time to time. Often renowned for his defensive style, he seems to be adopting a slightly more attacking stance at the start of the season, with mixed success and the main strength remaining defensive.
Atlético de Madrid have been going through a somewhat complicated period, and there’s bound to be some disappointment with the (frustrating) elimination on penalties against Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 8. In the Copa del Rey, the adventure came to an end in the semi-final against FC Barcelona, and the Colchoneros finished behind these two clubs in La Liga. It’s not a bad season either, and they remain a formidable opponent.
The summer mercato 2025 –
Source: Transfermarkt.
Departures:
Arrivals :
Key statistics –
This season, Atlético have the 4th best attack in La Liga with 68 goals scored (the first, FC Barcelona, is at 102, and the last, Valladoid, is at 26), and have the 2nd best defense with 30 goals conceded (Bilbao have the best defense with 29 goals conceded, the last, Valladoid, is at 90).
Atlético’s top scorer is Alexander Sorloth (29-year-old striker) and with 20 goals is 4th in the league (first in La Liga is Kylian Mbappé with 31 goals). Antoine Griezmann (34-year-old attacker) is the Spanish club’s best passer with 7 assists, and ranks 8th in La Liga (Lamine Yamal is first with 13 assists).
Atlético’s last 5 matches –
Only Colchoneros possession is shown and Atlético shots are put first (when data is available).
03/05/2024 (Liga) – Deportivo Alavès/Atlético Madrid: 0-0. 4-4-2 formation. 65% possession. 9 shots including 2 on target vs. 8 shots (2 on target).
10/05/2024 (Liga) – Atlético Madrid/Real Sociedad: 4-0. In 4-3-3. 61% possession. 13 shots, including 7 on target, against 6 shots (1 on target).
15/05/2024 (Liga) – Osasuna/Atlético Madrid: 2-0. In 4-4-2. 66% possession. 9 shots, including 5 on target, against 9 shots (3 on target).
18/05/2024 (Liga) – Atlético Madrid/Betis Séville: 4-1. In 4-4-2 44% possession. 20 shots (11 on target) against 12 shots (7 on target).
25/05/2024 (Liga) – Girona/Atlético Madrid: 0-4. 4-4-2. 57% possession. 19 shots, including 11 on target, against 2 shots (1 on target).
Atlético Madrid’s likely line-up :
Griezmann – Alvarez
Lino – De Paul – Koke – Simeone
Galan – Le Normand – Gimenez – Molina
Oblak
Atlético’s style of play.
Although Simeone has developed his attacking game a little more than in previous years, the foundation of his Atlético remains in defense. A compact, aggressive block that knows how to wait to recover the ball in order to cause pain. PSG will have to be careful not to get impatient or forget the necessary structure to avoid giving away easy opportunities.
We’re expecting the Parisians to enjoy plenty of possession, so we’ll need to show the pace, creativity and precision to take advantage of it. Clearly, there’s no room for anything other than top-level football.
