Simeone vows to ‘look after’ Alvarez as he rejoins Atletico squad

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Ahead of Atletico Madrid’s home opener against Villarreal, Diego Simeone has promised to “look after” Julian Alvarez following a drawn-out, summer-long transfer saga. 

Alvarez had been heavily linked with a move to LaLiga rivals Barcelona, though Atletico consistently remained firm in their stance that the striker was not for sale. 

In his pre-match press conference, Simeone has now confirmed the Argentine will stay at the Metropolitano this season, insisting he is still central to his plans. 

The 26-year-old did not feature in Atletico’s season-opening win over Malaga on Wednesday, with Lee Kang-in and Alex Baena netting in a 2-0 victory. 

“The doubts about Alvarez’s situation do not exist, and Miguel Angel [Gil Marin, Atletico CEO] spoke clearly,” Simeone said. 

“For me, Julian is a very important player for achieving the objectives on the sporting level.  

“We will be with him, and we will take care of him from the sporting side. Why? Because he is our player, and as long as he is at Atletico, I will look after him and protect him.”

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 22, 2026

Asked about Alvarez’s conduct ahead of Sunday’s match, Simeone praised the striker’s professionalism, adding: “It is difficult for any individual to determine how someone else feels, because I am not that person.  

“What I see is that he is working in the best possible way, and training with his team-mates with great respect for everyone.  

“I have no doubt about the path we have decided to take with the club, which is to build a big team, as that is our goal.  

“The important thing must be the Villarreal match and not any other matter, and that is what I am focused on.

“Julian will be included in the squad for the match, and he is in a better position now in terms of readiness and preparation.” 

Simeone will perhaps be extra eager for a response against Villarreal after Atletico suffered the heaviest defeat of his tenure in their last LaLiga meeting, losing 5-1 in May. 

The Rojiblancos, however, have not lost consecutive league matches to Villarreal since April 2017. 

Villarreal, meanwhile, were held to a 2-2 draw by Racing Santander in their season opener last weekend. 

Summer arrival Lee marked his LaLiga debut in style, netting the opener in Atletico’s 2-0 win over Malaga. In total, he took three shots, created one chance, and won four duels. 

Should he find the net against Villarreal, he could become the first Atleti player to score in his first two league appearances in the 21st century. 

Gerard Moreno has scored three goals in 20 LaLiga appearances against Atletico, with all three coming at the Metropolitano across eight league visits. 

In fact, no visiting player has scored four or more goals against Atletico at their new stadium in the competition, and Moreno will be desperate to continue his scoring run against Los Rojiblancos. 

Kang In’s first of many in red and white  pic.twitter.com/JBLO7UpMTz

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 21, 2026

MATCH PREDICTION: ATLETICO MADRID WIN 

Despite a poor recent run against Villarreal at home, Simeone’s side are pegged as favourites ahead of kick-off, where they will be looking to win their first two league matches for the first time since 2021-22. 

The Yellow Submarine, though, have picked up points in eight of their last 12 away LaLiga matches against Los Rojiblancos (W3 D5 L4), after losing eight of their first 12 league visits to Atletico’s home ground (W2 D2). 

Inigo Perez’s side have further struggled in visits to the Community of Madrid in general, losing in each of their last four such visits. They had previously picked up points in each of their last four (W3 D1), marking their longest away losing streak against these sides since March 2011 (L5). 

Villarreal have also failed to win any of their last four away games in LaLiga (D3 L1) – their longest winless run on the road in the competition since January 2024 (P5 D1 L4). 

Simeone, though, does not have a stellar record against Villarreal. The Atletico boss has drawn 11 of his 28 LaLiga matches against the Yellow Submarine (W10 D7 L11), only recording more league draws against Real Madrid (12). 

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