Atlético de Madrid are being projected to line up against Villarreal at the Metropolitano with Jan Oblak still treated as the one fixed point in Diego Simeone’s team. The view around the squad is that the opener is already in the bank after the 2-0 win over Málaga, but the next test asks for more: speed, control and a clearer edge in the final third.
That is why the search around Atlético Madrid vs Villarreal is building now. Villarreal arrive after drawing with Racing de Santander, while Atlético are coming off a league debut that offered enough clues to sketch a starting eleven for this Sunday. Jan Oblak has already played 538 matches and remains untouchable in goal, even with Juan Musso showing a strong level at the end of the 2025/26 season.
The projected back line points to Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand, Marc Pubill and Alejandro Grimaldo all having a role in a side that would be set up to protect the result first and then break forward with more punch. Llorente has regained rhythm after the World Cup and already logged minutes in the league opener, which is why he is viewed as a natural option on the right side. Le Normand strengthened that case by winning six of the nine duels he played in the first round, including aerial battles, while Pubill impressed in a few minutes on Wednesday and looked solid enough to stay in the frame.
Grimaldo is the most interesting piece of the puzzle. He made his Atlético de Madrid debut playing almost entirely as a defender, yet the logic behind this projection is that Simeone wants him higher up the pitch. The numbers explain it: 14 goals and 12 assists with Bayer Leverkusen in 2025/26 suggest a player who can do damage beyond the back line, not just survive there. The idea is not to remove his defensive work, but to move him into zones where those numbers can matter.
Giuliano Simeone gives the XI its sharpest human edge. He comes in after a season of seven goals and eight assists and after playing in his first World Cup, and the feeling inside this projected setup is that Atlético become a different team when he is on the pitch because they gain speed. That matters against Villarreal, because a match that starts as a preview on paper can turn quickly if one side can run behind the other. The only open question is whether this remains the final confirmed eleven, but the shape of the selection already points to a side built for the moment, not for caution.
