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Seattle Sounders v Atletico Madrid: Line-ups, stats and preview

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Jun 18, 2025 - 13:15

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Preview for Seattle Sounders v Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid have to bounce back quickly from their opening-match mauling by Paris Saint-Germain when they take on the Seattle Sounders at the Club World Cup tomorrow.

Diego Simeone’s men were brushed aside 4-0 by the European champions at the Rose Bowl on Sunday with defender Clement Lenglet also sent-off for two yellow cards.

It was a dispiriting way to start the tournament and the clash with the MLS side is a must-win, especially with Botafogo to come.

It won’t be straightforward with the Sounders playing in front of their home fans but, on the plus side, the temperature is likely to be cooler in the Pacific Northwest than it was at the weekend when the lunchtime kick-off in Los Angeles made conditions difficult.

“The tough defeat to PSG forces us to get good results,” admitted Simeone. “The goal difference is hard, four goals is a lot. We are focused on the game against Seattle on the 19th. We knew that there may be turbulence on the road and there was.”

No Quit 👊 pic.twitter.com/cLQgsY8MGf
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) June 17, 2025

One man eager to impress Simeone is the Sounders’ Obed Vargas who grew an Atletico fan after associating his underdog story in trying to make it in the relative footballing backwater of Alaska to the Rojiblancos’ struggle for supremacy with Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona.

He told the club’s website: “When all the other teams would see my Alaska team [they’d think] ‘They’re trash, we’re gonna beat them.’ And I always had an underdog mentality, where I was going to show these guys that we’re not that bad. Or even when I came with the Academy, my teammates were, like, ‘This guys from Alaska, what is he doing here?’ And I [wanted] to show these guys I [was] better than them.

“Atletico Madrid, they’re underdogs, all the time. And when I lived in Alaska, I started watching them, especially in the 2014 Champions League final. And, I think it correlates with my own story.”

The 19-year-old midfielder is excited to pit his wits against the likes of World Cup winners Rodrigo de Paul, Julián Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann but insists he won’t doing them any favours.

He added: “It means everything. I don’t know what lineup they’re gonna put out, what players are gonna play, but just playing against them and seeing the jersey, the crest, playing against them is gonna give me extra motivation to give my all.

“I can tell you one thing: I won’t be a fan whenever we play them. I’m going to do as much as I can to beat them.

“I think the advantages that we have is we’re playing at home, playing in Seattle, and we’re playing in our stadium. I think we need to use that to fuel us.

“It’s clear there’s different levels to the game, but we [need to] take this as an opportunity to prove people wrong, to compete, and to prove it to ourselves more than anyone else.”

Team News for Seattle Sounders v Atletico Madrid

The Sounders played well against Botafogo in their Group B opener but fell to a 2-1 defeat.

It’s unlikely coach Brian Schmetzer will divert too far from the starting XI that took on the Brazilians.

Simeone has more depth in his squad and may shake things up after their energy-sapping game against PSG.

Lenglet is suspended while Griezmann may be rested after looking out of sorts on Sunday. Jose Maria Gimenez is likely to come into the back four with Alexander Sorloth forming a front two with Alvarez.

The vastly experienced Koke could also start at the expense of Samuel Lino.

💭 MD2 at FIFA CWC. pic.twitter.com/TOGVHZBYde
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) June 17, 2025

Predicted line-ups for Seattle Sounders v Atletico Madrid

Seattle Sounders: Frei; Tolo, A Roldan, Kim, Ragen; C Roldan, Rusnak, Vargas; Ferreira, Musovski, Kent

Atlético Madrid: Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Gimenez, Galan; De Paul, Koke, Simeone, Barrios; Alvarez, Sorloth

How to watch Seattle Sounders v Atletico Madrid: TV and online streams

Seattle Sounders versus Atlético Madrid kicks off at 11pm UK time tomorrow at Lumen Field. It can be watched on DAZN via your TV and streaming devices.

It can also be viewed on the bet365 app.