Sports Illustrated has put a possible Atletico De Madrid starting XI on the table for Sunday’s match against Villarreal at the Metropolitano, and the first name on it is the one that has become the least debated of all: Jan Oblak. With Atlético de Madrid having opened LaLiga with a 2-0 win over Málaga, the lineup projection is being read now because it offers an early clue to how Diego Simeone may build on that start.
Oblak’s place is treated as fixed for a reason. He has already played 538 partidos, and the idea behind the projection is simple: a goalkeeper with that kind of record does not usually give way unless form forces the issue. Juan Musso, though, finished the 2025/26 season strongly, which is why the choice still carries a small edge of friction even if the call in goal remains obvious on paper.
The rest of the projected XI leans on recent evidence rather than reputation alone. Marcos Llorente, who returned to rhythm after the World Cup and added minutes in the league debut, is the kind of player Simeone could trust at right back. Robin Le Normand won seis de los nueve duelos in the first round, a clean defensive marker that helps explain why he stays in the picture. Marc Pubill also had a solid few minutes on Wednesday, while Alejandro Grimaldo’s debut was purely defensive, even if his 14 goles and 12 asistencias with Bayer Leverkusen in 2025/26 explain why Simeone wants to see more of him further forward.
There is still a gap between a projected team and the real one. That matters because Atlético de Madrid is not just sorting out one match; it is testing the shape of a season that began with a clean win and now moves into a home meeting with Villarreal, a side that drew with Racing de Santander in its opener. The same logic is what makes names like Giuliano Simeone harder to ignore after a season of seven goals and eight assists, and it is why prediction pieces around Atlético de Madrid keep circling back to the same question: who keeps the shirt when the actual XI is handed over?
For now, Oblak looks untouchable, Llorente looks useful, and Grimaldo looks like the long-view selection. The only answer that still has to arrive is whether Diego Simeone uses this exact XI against Villarreal, or keeps one more card back until Sunday at the Metropolitano.
