Espanyol and Atlético de Madrid faced off at the RCDE Stadium on Saturday, October 17, on matchday nine of LaLiga EA Sports. The match, which began at 2:00 p.m. local time, ended goalless, with both teams failing to score in a duel that was characterized by tight defense and a lack of clear opportunities.
Before the match, coaches Manolo González and Diego Simeone had published their lineups. Espanyol had Fortuño as goalkeeper, Omar El Hilali, Riedel, Drkusic, Leandro Cabrera and Roger Hinojo in defense; Javi Hernández, Pol Lozano, Edu Expósito, Bryan Zaragoza and Roberto in the midfield and forward. Atlético, for its part, presented Oblak, Dani Martínez, Hancko, Cuti Romero and Marc Pubill in the defensive line; Lookman, Hjulmand, Pablo Barrios, Giuliano and the duo of Jonathan David and Kang-In Lee in the attack.
The referee of the match was Alejandro Hernández, with VAR assistance by Figueroa Vázquez. In the first half, Atlético tried to dominate the game with long possessions and the direction of Pablo Barrios, who distributed the ball with precision. Espanyol, however, remained compact and prevented the rival from reaching the area with counterattacking plays. In the 18th minute, Kang-In Lee launched a shot from outside the area that Fortuño easily saved, and in the 15th minute Espanyol suffered a minor injury to Bryan Zaragoza after a blow to the neck from Pablo Barrios, although the player recovered without problems.
In the second half, Atlético continued to press but failed to score. There were several scoring opportunities, such as Giuliano's cross that Jonathan David finished first in the 5th minute, but the ball grazed the crossbar. Espanyol also had opportunities, but Atlético's defense remained solid. At the end of the match, both teams finished without scoring and without any significant changes taking place.
With the result 0‑0, Espanyol maintains its position in the middle of the table, while Atlético de Madrid remains in the fight for the title, without losing the winning streak it was seeking to extend. Espanyol's next match will be against Real Sociedad, while Atlético prepares for its next home match against Real Madrid, where it will try to add the three points it needs to stay at the top of the competition.