VALENCIA - ATLÉTICO
Kranevitter and Torres set to start at Mestalla
The Argentine midfielder will make his first start in the league.Griezmann will partner Torres in attack. Neville will stick with Negredo.
In yesterday's session, one player stuck close to Augusto for the entire workout - Matías Kranevitter, one of the few Rojiblancos who didn't seem to mind the biting, Arctic weather out in Majadahonda.
Augusto is suspended for completing a cycle of bookings and so is unavailable for tonight's game which hints that Kranevitter is in line to make his first start for Atleti. The two Argentineans arrived at the Calderón at more or less the same time, and made their debuts together in the Copa del Rey against Rayo. The only difference was that El Negro was already well up to speed in term of life in LaLiga fast lane and only had to change his shirt (a Celta one for a red an white striped Atleti one) while Krane, arrived directly from Argentina, needing time to settle into the city as well as the team/system, and gets to grips with LaLiga; Tonight, 67 days after his first training session and a handful of games coming on as sub, the trial period is officially at an end.
Simeone is expected to field Fernando Torres as Griezmann's partner in attack while Carrasco, now over his sprain, will wait for his chance from the bench.
Valencia meanwhile have started to show signs of life after coming out of their coma. They have won three of their last four league games, put 10 past Rapid Wien in the Europa League and are just eight points behind sixth-placed Celta. Gary Neville's team will however feel the need to make the peace with Mestalla after their most recent appearance at home when they were demolished in a six-minute spell by aerial football deities, Athletic Club.
Negredo, who has gained decent figures against Atleti in the past (five goals in the league with various different clubs) should start, in front of gritty midfield trio: Fuego, Parejo and Andre Gómes. Neville will surely have been tapping winter signing Siqueira for classified, inside information on Simeone's side; there was no clause in the full-back's contract impeding him from playing against his previous employers and he will start tonight.
