Atlético Madrid confirmed their starting XI for Sevilla with Barrios, Llorente and Baena named in the side before kickoff at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. The official team sheet also showed no natural striker, a notable choice on a match day when Atlético were already managing a forward shortage.
That is why this fixture was drawing attention before the first whistle. Sevilla had won the last meeting between the sides in April by 2-1 at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, and they had not chained two league wins over Atlético since December 2021. The latest lineups gave the match a sharper edge, because the search now was not only who would start, but how Atlético would cope without a recognized forward line.
Atlético’s confirmed XI was Oblak, Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Grimaldo, Kang-In Lee, Barrios, Hjulmand, Baena, Giuliano and Lookman. Barrios, Llorente and Baena were the new names in the side, while Hjulmand started alongside Barrios after pre-match uncertainty over whether Koke or Hjulmand would be chosen there. Marcos Llorente’s renewal was also on track, with his contract running until June 2027, a background detail that only added to the interest around his place in the team.
Simeone had already addressed the wider problem before kickoff, saying he hoped to help Julián remain “the important player” he is for the club. That mattered because Atlético were set to play without recognized strikers: Julián’s future was still being decided and Sorloth was injured. The official lineup underlined the point rather than solving it. Even with quality across the front of the team, Atlético were asking others to carry a burden usually handled by a center forward.
Sevilla also made changes of their own. Their starting XI was Vlachodimos, Juan Iglesias, Castrín, Kike Salas, Suazo, Agoumé, Guridi, Miguel Sierra, Peque, Julio Díaz and Robbie Ure, with Kike Salas and Julio Díaz as the new additions. On the bench, Sevilla had Fran González, Iker Ortín, Manuel Ángel Castillo, Manu Bueno, Nico Guillén, Carmona, Sow, Alfon, Ejuke, Kochorashvili, Isaac Romero and Sangante. Rubén Vargas was left out as he was likely to leave, while the club was expected to add between three and four reinforcements before the transfer market closed.
For Atlético, the question after the lineup was not just who started, but how long the club could keep building around a side that had to stretch its shape to cover the absence of forwards. For Sevilla, the match arrived as both a test and a marker, with the previous win over Atlético still fresh and the squad still in motion around departures and reinforcements. The next real answer would come from the pitch, but the pre-match picture was already clear: Atlético had named a team built to improvise.
