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Atletico Madrid host Alaves on Sunday as Diego Simeone's side look to consolidate their place at the top of La Liga.
Atleti were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Chelsea in midweek and now have only the league title left to challenge for.
Diego Simeone's side currently have a four-point lead at the top of the La Liga table, but have been faltering lately. They have won only two of their last five matches.
Simeone will need his side to return to top form quickly, or risk losing their top spot in the league.
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Alaves, on the other hand, have been dismal this season. Abelardo Fernandez's side are currently involved in a relegation battle, as they sit in 17th on the La Liga table.
Alaves have been in terrible form, having lost four out of their last five games in the league. Fernandez will know that a win on Sunday will take his team out of the relegation zone, but it will be a tough ask given the form his side are in.
Atletico Madrid cannot afford to slip up and will need to earn all three points when they face Alaves on Sunday.
Atletico Madrid vs Alaves Head-to-Head
As expected, Atletico Madrid have dominated the recent head-to-head record between the two sides.
Simeone's men are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Alaves, having won four of them.
Atleti came away as 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Atletico Madrid Form Guide: W-D-W-D-L
Alaves Form Guide: L-L-L-L-D
Atletico Madrid vs Alaves Team News
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid will be without Joao Felix for the clash on Sunday. The Portuguese superstar picked up his fifth yellow card of the campaign against Getafe last week.
Apart from that, Simeone will have the luxury of picking from a full strength side for the game.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Joao Felix
Alaves
Abelardo Fernandez has a dilemma on his hands as midfielder Tomas Pina and club captain Manu Garcia are both suspended for the game.
Defender Rodrigo Ely is still unavailable as he recovers from a knee injury he picked up last year.
Injured: Rodrigo Ely
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Tomas Pina, Manu Garcia
Atletico Madrid vs Alaves Predicted XI
Atletico Madrid Predicted XI (4-3-3): Jan Oblak; Mario Hermoso, Jose Gimenez, Stefan Savic, Kieran Trippier; Koke, Saul, Marcos Llorente; Yannick Carrasco, Angel Correa, Luis Suarez
Alaves Predicted XI (4-4-2): Fernando Pacheco; Ruben Duarte, Florian Lejeune, Victor Laguardia, Ximo Navarro; Luis Rioja, Pere Pons, Rodrigo Battaglia, Facundo Pellistri; Edgar Mendez, Joselu
Atletico Madrid vs Alaves Prediction
This should be a fairly straightforward game for Simeone's men. Atleti have too much quality in their side for Alaves to handle.
We predict a comfortable win for Atletico Madrid.
Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2-0 Alaves
