The bursts of bad weather gave way to a spring with more than mild temperatures at Atlético de Madrid, which is immersed in one of the best moments of the season after going through the occasional storm that caused delicate moments for the team he leads Diego Pablo Simeone.
The Argentine coach knows that he has the Champions League qualification in his pocket and Madrid within a shot in the fight for second place thanks to the patience of those who know how to wait on the bench for an opportunity. The second place does not seem like a utopia at this point. The Manzanares team is the club in the five major European leagues that has scored the most goals through substitute players this season. Up to fourteen times it has been done by a footballer who was not from the initial game, and at least one of them has seen the goal in six of the last seven games for the rojiblanco team. The last one scored by Ángel Correa, a specialist to revolutionize the games that his team will not be able to count on in the duel that this Sunday measures them against Rayo Vallecano in Vallecas. The Argentine attacker is in one of the toughest moments personally, after losing his mother, so he will not play against Iraola’s men, who have dashed their hopes for Europe after chaining a streak of seven games without winning .
Salvation is on track for the locals, who do not want to repeat past burdens although the mattress set does not seem like the best balm for their current ills. History and statistics are against the Vallecanos: they have not won any of their last five home games against Atlético de Madrid in LaLiga.
For the derby, Iraola will have all the artillery available and will be able to alienate his gala eleven, which includes Álvaro García, a fundamental piece for the Basque coach. On the other side, Morata has all the ballots to be the spearhead of the Cholo men in Vallecas and form in the eleven along with Griezmann after Memphis Depay went down due to injury.