Atlético Madrid’s starting lineup for Athletic Vs Atlético Madrid at San Mamés was confirmed before kickoff, and the biggest talking point was simple: Julián Alvarez was not in the XI.
Simeone chose his eleven for a high-profile LaLiga EA Sports match between two historic clubs, with Atlético arriving after their win at the Pizjuán. The team also announced its third kit for the San Mamés trip ahead of the lineup reveal, adding one more detail to a night that already had plenty of attention on it.
What the lineups said about the match
Athletic returned to San Mamés after two consecutive matches away from home, while Atlético moved into the game with its own set of questions around selection and usage. The confirmed lineups answered the immediate one: Julián Alvarez would not start.
That matters because the focus around Atlético in the buildup had been centered on Julián Alvarez and a possible move to Barcelona. But Atlético never seriously considered an agreement with Barcelona for Julián Alvarez, and the lineup choice offered the clearest sign yet that the match itself would be managed with Simeone’s usual emphasis on control and role definition.
The club’s away schedule has also been busy, with this match part of a run that included three consecutive away matches. In that context, the decision over the starting XI was always going to carry extra weight, especially with only 11 starting players available and 23 players in the broader matchday picture.
Who started and what comes next
The confirmed starting lineups were the main update before kickoff, with Athletic and Atlético both revealing their XIs after the pre-match buildup. For Atlético, the key takeaway was not just who started, but who did not: Julián Alvarez began the match on the bench.
That set up the rest of the game around Simeone’s preferred structure rather than the attention that had followed the player in the days leading up to the match. For supporters watching Athletic Vs Atlético Madrid, the lineup announcement did the job it was supposed to do: clarify the plan before the first whistle and shift the focus back to the football.
