Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Diego Simeone has reiterated Atletico Madrid are “a work in progress” after his side received more criticism.
Atleti returned to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over Real Sociedad at the weekend, but all three of their goals came from the 84th minute onwards.
Simeone’s side have won three of their five LaLiga games this season (D1 L1) ahead of a clash with Osasuna on Wednesday, leaving them fifth in the table, though they are already five points behind defending champions Barcelona.
Atleti have lost nine of their 25 LaLiga games in 2026 (W13 D3), their highest number of defeats in a calendar year in the competition with Simeone as head coach; the last time they suffered as many defeats in a single year in LaLiga was in 2011 (15, Simeone only took charge in December).
However, after a summer of change, Simeone has urged critics to give his side time to grow as a team.
“We’re used to the negativity from a lot of people; as soon as there’s a chance of criticism, it’s there. It’s part of growing and improving, and we welcome it,” said Simeone.
“The team is a work in progress. This summer, seven players left and five came in, and there are four or five academy players. It’s not as simple as it seems to organise all this.
“We have a competitive team. We’ll improve as we play. That’s how I feel: we’re a work in progress, we need time, which doesn’t exist in football.”
Tomorrow’s squad list pic.twitter.com/XPSnys7T34
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) September 15, 2026
Osasuna are 11th in LaLiga after five games with seven points to their name, though they have struggled in recent matches.
After starting their campaign with two wins and a draw, they have lost 5-2 against Alaves and 2-0 versus Espanyol.
Atletico Madrid – Giuliano Simeone
Simeone made eight recoveries against La Real, his highest tally in all competitions since December 2025 against Athletic Club at San Mames in LaLiga.
It also tied the best figure for an Atleti outfield player in a league game this season (Dani Martinez and Pablo Barrios also made eight against Malaga).
Budimir has won 41 duels in LaLiga 2026-27 (out of 66 contested), his highest tally in his first five top-flight appearances in a campaign.
MATCH PREDICTION – ATLETICO MADRID WIN
Atleti have won nine of their last 10 home LaLiga matches against Osasuna (D1) and are currently on their longest-ever scoring run at home against them (10 games, 19 goals).
However, Atleti have also lost two of their last five LaLiga matches against Osasuna (W3), twice as many defeats as they suffered in their previous 20 meetings in the competition (W18 D1 L1).
Following their 3-0 victory at La Real, Atleti can win two consecutive LaLiga matches for the first time this season. The Rojiblancos have not recorded two consecutive wins without conceding in the competition since January 2026 (W2).
After picking up points in their first three LaLiga 2026-27 matches (W2 D1), Osasuna have lost their last two, and they have also lost four of their last five away games in the competition (W1).
Osasuna are the side Atleti boss Simeone has faced the most in LaLiga without registering a single draw (W18 L3).
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