Simeone Thrilled with Griezmann’s Approach Despite Limited Playing Time
Diego Simeone enjoys observing Antoine Griezmann adapt to his modified position at Atletico Madrid as the forward gets accustomed to spending less time on the pitch. Griezmann has been in the starting lineup for only five of his LaLiga appearances this season, having played just 649 minutes in total, while Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth have been favored by Simeone. Nonetheless, the French forward contributed off the bench to assist Atleti in achieving a 2-1 victory against Valencia in their latest league match, and he netted twice from the start in their Copa del Rey win over Atletico Baleares. Griezmann has netted five goals in LaLiga 2025-26, all from the bench, making him the top-scoring substitute in Europe’s elite leagues this season. Before their match against Girona in their last game of 2025, Simeone emphasized the significance of Griezmann’s goal-scoring prowess. “It’s important for him (to score) because he’s happier, more content,” remarked Simeone following the victory over Baleares. “It’s what he wants: to score goals, help the team and go as far as possible in all competitions. He works very hard, I loved it.”
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— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) December 20, 2025
Girona sits 18th in LaLiga due to a lower goal difference compared to Osasuna, yet their recent performance has been encouraging. Alongside a victory over Real Sociedad last weekend, Girona has also managed to secure draws against Real Madrid and Real Betis in their recent outings. Simeone assured that he will craft his game strategy based on Girona’s current form, rather than their overall season. “I always look at opponents based on their current form, and Girona are better than they were at the start of the season,” Simeone continued. “They’re coming off the back of some positive results, three or four matches in which they’ve competed very well, such as against Real Madrid or coming back against Real Sociedad. They’re continuing in the same vein, with the courageous style of play that generates the attacking football the manager wants. We’ll try to take the game to where we think we can hurt them.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Girona – Viktor Tsygankov Viktor Tsygankov has contributed to four of Girona’s last five LaLiga goals (three goals, one assist). In fact, he has already surpassed his total league goals this season (three in 10 appearances) compared to the previous year (two in 27). Atletico Madrid – Julian Alvarez Alvarez has found the net seven times this season in LaLiga, ranking fifth among goal scorers, and was given a rest during their midweek Copa del Rey match. However, the forward hasn’t scored in the Spanish top division since November 1 against Sevilla.
MATCH PREDICTION: ATLETICO MADRID WIN
Atleti remains unbeaten in four of their five LaLiga encounters at Girona (W2 D2 L1), including a 4-0 triumph in May 2025. Their sole defeat came in January 2024 (4-3). After not experiencing a loss in any of their first three LaLiga games against Atleti (D3), Girona has suffered six defeats in their last seven matches against the Rojiblancos in the league (W1). They have only won 10% of their LaLiga matches against Simeone’s team (W1 D3 L6), which is their third-lowest win percentage against any team they have faced at least five times in the league, following Real Betis (9% – P11 W1 D4 L6) and Real Sociedad (9% – P11 W1 D6 L4). Moreover, Girona’s manager Michel Sanchez has faced defeat in seven of his nine LaLiga encounters with Simeone (G9 W1 D1) – marking his highest number of defeats facing any coach in the competition. Yet, Atleti has suffered losses in their last two LaLiga away matches and has not lost three or more consecutively since January 2024 (L4); the fourth defeat in that series was against Girona (4-3 in January 2024).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Girona – 22.8%
Draw – 23.4%
Atletico Madrid – 53.8%
Published: 2025-12-21 00:03:00
source: www.soccernews.com
