Atlético Madrid vs Athletic Club Preview: Unbeaten Start and Key Players

Atlético Madrid head north to San Mamés on Saturday evening with the early-season wind at their backs and a stern test in front of them.

Diego Simeone’s side arrive in Bilbao unbeaten after three La Liga outings, sitting third in the table with seven points from a possible nine. They have scored seven, conceded three, and look sharper than they did for long stretches of last season.

A solid 2-0 opening win over Málaga CF at the Metropolitano set the tone, but it was the 3-1 victory away to Sevilla FC that really announced their intent. Between those came a 2-2 draw with Villarreal CF, a reminder that this revamped Atlético can still be dragged into a fight but now carry far more threat going the other way.

San Mamés will demand more proof.

Álvarez stays, David arrives, Sørloth out

The visitors make the trip with relatively few fitness problems and, crucially, with one major summer saga finally parked.

Julián Álvarez, at the centre of weeks of speculation over a possible move to Barcelona, is back in the matchday squad. Illness kept him out of recent sessions and only added to the uncertainty around his future, but he completed full training this week and is available for selection. For Simeone, that is a significant attacking option restored.

Not all the news is as encouraging. Main centre-forward Alexander Sørloth remains out as he continues his recovery from the muscle injury he picked up in mid-August. Midfielder Obed Vargas is also still sidelined, trimming Simeone’s choices in the middle of the pitch.

Just as that door closes, another opens. Jonathan David, a late-window loan arrival, has been named in a La Liga squad for the first time. The Canadian forward offers depth, movement, and goals; San Mamés could see his first minutes in Spanish football if Simeone turns to his bench.

At the back, stability returns. Robin Le Normand has served his suspension and is expected to walk straight back into the starting XI, restoring a key pillar to Atlético’s defensive structure.

How Atlético could line up

Simeone has leaned into a refreshed, more fluid look this season, and the predicted XI reflects that balance between control and aggression.

Expected Atlético Madrid starting XI: Oblak; Llorente, Hancko, Pubill, Grimaldo; Barrios, Hjulmand; Simeone, Kang-in, Lookman; Baena.

It is a side built to press, to run, and to break quickly, but one that still carries the familiar Simeone edge in duels and defensive organisation.

Kick-off time and how to watch

Athletic Club vs Atlético Madrid kicks off at 3:15pm BST on Saturday, 5th September.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the game live on LALIGATV.

An unbeaten start, a hostile stadium, new faces and old questions about whether Atlético can sustain a title push — San Mamés will offer an early-season answer.