Atletico Madrid will be bidding to get their 2022-23 La Liga campaign off to the best possible start when they travel to Coliseum Alfonso Perez to face Getafe on Monday night.
Diego Simeone’s side finished third in the table last season, 15 points behind the champions Real Madrid, while Getafe were 15th, just one point outside of the relegation zone.
Getafe finished eighth, fifth and eighth in Spain’s top flight between 2018 and 2020, but they have now been 15th in their last two La Liga campaigns, only narrowly avoiding relegation last term.
Indeed, the Deep Blue Ones picked up just 39 points from their 38 league matches in 2021-22, which left them just a point clear of 18th-place Granada, so the fans will be demanding an improvement in 2022-23.
Getafe have had an active summer in terms of friendlies, playing six times in total, losing their last two against Elche and Albacete without scoring a goal, which will be a slight concern ahead of this clash.
Quique Sanchez Flores’s side have been active during the summer market, bringing in Borja Mayoral, Luis Milla, Domingos Duarte, Jaime Seoane, Fabrizio Angileri, Kiko Casilla and Portu.
There have also been a number of departures, including Mathias Olivera, Hugo Duro and Chema Rodriguez, so there will be a fresh look to the squad next season, which was certainly required following their underwhelming 2021-22 campaign.
Atletico, meanwhile, have played four friendlies this summer, beating Numancia, Manchester United, Cadiz and Juventus, scoring an impressive 13 times in the process.
Simeone’s side finished third in La Liga last season, 15 points behind the champions Real Madrid, while they were eliminated in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey and quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Atletico will certainly be looking to challenge both Real Madrid and Barcelona in the table this season, and they have boosted their squad this summer with the arrivals of Nahuel Molina and Axel Witsel, while Alvaro Morata and Saul Niguez are back at Wanda Metropolitano following loan spells at Juventus and Chelsea respectively.
There have also been first-team departures in the shape of Daniel Wass, Hector Herrera, Sime Vrsaljko and Luis Suarez, and it will be fascinating to see whether the capital giants are capable of matching Real Madrid and Barcelona this season, as both clubs look to be in strong shape heading into 2022-23.
Atletico did a league double over Getafe last season, including a 4-3 success at Wanda Metropolitano in February, while they have not lost to the Deep Blue Ones in Spain’s top flight since November 2011.
Getafe pre-season form:
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Atletico Madrid pre-season form:
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We say: Getafe 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Getafe are certainly capable of making this a tricky match for Atletico, but Simeone’s side are in good shape heading into the new season, and we are expecting the Red and Whites to pick up all three points in their first match of the 2022-23 campaign.