There aren’t much gentler starts to a new domestic league season than playing a newly promoted team at home, but in many ways, Sunday’s fixture against Alaves places Atletico Madrid in a fairly difficult position.
With four consecutive top-three finishes in La Liga, a league title and two Champions League final appearances in the last four years, Atletico have made their name as a force to be reckoned with under manager Diego Simeone.
But the average world football fan in the street, the pub or elsewhere feels that they’ve got the measure of the “other” team from the Spanish capital.