Atletico Madrid will try to stretch their five-match winning run when they visit Espanyol on Saturday afternoon, with Diego Simeone's side still in the La Liga title conversation. Atletico are five points behind Barcelona and have four more fixtures before the end of the month, so every result remains important.
The visitors head into the match after a strong week that included a 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Champions League on Tuesday night. That result followed their current domestic surge and underlined the momentum they have built in recent weeks.
Espanyol's recent form and table position
Espanyol sit 12th in the table with 19 points from eight matches, and their recent league form has been mixed. They have two wins, two draws and four defeats, and have taken only one point from their last three matches. Their most recent outing ended in a 1-1 draw with Malaga.
Last season, Espanyol finished 11th in Spain's top flight, and they will also draw confidence from the fact that they beat Atletico 2-1 in the corresponding match. More broadly, though, this fixture has been difficult for them. Atletico have won 54 of the 187 meetings between the sides, while Espanyol have 97 defeats and 36 draws in the same span.
Why this match matters for Atletico
Even with their strong current form, Atletico have not always dominated this matchup. They have lost four of their last six league meetings with Espanyol, so the recent head-to-head record offers a reminder that Saturday's trip is not straightforward.
Still, Atletico's five straight wins and their position near the top of the table make them the more confident side entering the weekend. A victory would keep pressure on Barcelona and help Simeone's team stay firmly in the title race as the schedule tightens.
For Espanyol, the challenge is simpler: stop the slide and make life difficult for one of the league's form teams. For Atletico, the task is to keep the winning run going and avoid a setback in a fixture that has caused problems before.
