Espanyol vs Atlético Madrid: the 12th-placed hosts face a side on a run
Atlético arrive second in La Liga after a strong run; Espanyol are 12th and have won two of eight.
Espanyol host Atlético Madrid at RCDE Stadium in Cornella on Saturday (12:00 UTC) in La Liga's ninth round, with the table gap between them as wide as the form gap.
The table and the run-in
Atlético are second on 19 points from eight games, five behind leaders Barcelona, according to Sports Mole. Their record is six wins, one draw and one defeat. Torch's data has their recent form as win, win, win, win, loss, most recent first, so the one defeat is not in the latest run.
Espanyol are 12th on eight points from eight games, with two wins, two draws and four defeats. FootballDream's preview lists a 1-1 draw at Málaga among their recent results, and Sports Mole says the home side have taken one point from their last three league games.
History and venue
Across the last eight meetings on record, Atlético have three wins to the home side's one, with four draws. The most recent meeting, on 21 February 2026, ended Atlético 4, Espanyol 2. The draws show Espanyol have often made this fixture awkward at home.
What to watch
Sports Mole singles out Espanyol striker Roberto Fernández, who it says has six goals in eight appearances, as the home side's main threat. For Atlético, it expects Julián Álvarez to keep his place, with Jonathan David and Ademola Lookman as options from the bench.
Team news is not settled across sources. Sports Mole's preview says Atlético have no injury concerns and that Espanyol are expected to be without Jofre Carreras and Kike García, while at least one other outlet's headline suggests Atlético will be missing players from their squad. Treat availability as unconfirmed until lineups are released roughly an hour before kick-off.
Why it matters
For Atlético, the question is whether they can stay within reach of Barcelona by taking the points against a side in the lower half. For Espanyol, a home result against a team near the top would be the most useful of their season so far. A model cited by FootballDream rates Atlético the favourites but leaves a real chance of a draw, a reminder that eight games is a small sample.