Diego Simeone insisted he could not read Julian Alvarez's mind when asked about whether the Argentine would remain at Atletico Madrid this summer. 

Alvarez, who joined Atletico from Manchester City in 2024, has been linked with a return to the Premier League, while Barcelona are also reportedly interested in his signature. 

The 26-year-old has made 113 appearances for Atletico across all competitions, netting 52 times as well as providing 20 assists for his team-mates. 

He was also on target in Atletico's midweek draw with Club Brugge in the Champions League, bringing up his 12th goal on his 18th appearance in the competition for the club. 

Indeed, his goals per game ratio (0.67) is the best of any Atletico player in the competition's history (minimum 2+ goals), though it has been in LaLiga where he has struggled. 

After scoring seven goals in his first 11 games in LaLiga 2025-26 from 15 shots on target, Alvarez has not scored in any of his last 13 matches in the competition, registering just eight shots on target in that period.

Simeone did, however, emphasised that Alvarez is finally looking like his old self after a period of inconsistency, and was keen to stay away from any transfer talk. 

"I'm not inside his head," Simeone told reporters when quizzed on the speculation.

"I only see how he has played the last two matches, that he is returning to the level he always was, and we need him in this way.

"Then, in his head, I cannot be, but in what reflects in his work, I am very happy with what he gives us."

Atletico's clash with Espanyol is just a part of a hectic schedule for Simeone's side, who will have already played five games in the first 21 days of February after Saturday.

They welcome Brugge to the Spanish capital next Tuesday before taking on Real Oviedo, while March starts with the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final with Barcelona, a tie they lead 4-0. 

"It's difficult to sustain it. That's why teams need large squads. They are no longer enough with the 10, 12 players of a lifetime," Simeone added on Atletico's upcoming schedule.

"There are more games, the competition in the Champions League has increased, the squads must grow and our work as management in the physical and game parts.

"It must be important as a result of what we are seeing, from one game to the next, what the players can give us and demand of them, with the risk that they can get injured."

After their 3-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano, Atletico are now 15 points behind leaders Real Madrid, while Barca have also pulled clear of Simeone's side, who are fourth. 

The Opta supercomputer did not give them a chance of finishing at the top, with second the highest they finished in just 0.2% of its season simulations. 

"I don't think it's exaggerated," Simeone said of the gap between his team and the top two. "We weren't able to play the same way against other opponents." 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Atletico Madrid – Ademola Lookman

Ademola Lookman netted his first Champions League goal for Atletico in their dramatic draw against Brugge, and he will be keen to continue his red-hot start to life in Madrid. 

He has been directly involved in five goals in his first five appearances for Atletico (three goals, two assists). Indeed, this is the most goal involvements by any player for a LaLiga club across all competitions since his debut on February 5. 

Espanyol – Edu Exposito

Should Espanyol want to continue their push for a top-four finish in LaLiga, then Edu Exposito will be key to their chances at Riyadh Air Metropolitano this Saturday. 

No player has created more chances than Exposito's 55 for Espanyol in the top-flight, while his five assists are only bettered by six players in the entire division. 

MATCH PREDICTION: ATLETICO MADRID WIN

Despite being favoured by Opta's pre-match simulations, Atletico have not won any of their last five games against Espanyol in LaLiga (D4 L1), their worst winless run against them in the competition since an eight-game streak between April 2004 and December 2007 (D3 L5).

Simeone's side have also failed to win any of their last three LaLiga games (D1 L2), losing the last two, and they have not recorded three or more straight defeats in the competition since December 2021 (L4).

They have also not scored in their last three top-flight matches and have not gone four or more games without scoring in the competition since April 1995, under Alfio Basile.

Espanyol, meanwhile, are looking to complete a league double over Atletico for the fifth time in LaLiga history, having previously done so in 1942-43, 1957-58, 2006-07, and 2017-18 after their 2-1 win in the reverse fixture. 

However, after five consecutive wins between November and December 2025, Espanyol have not won any of their last seven league matches (D2 L5), their longest winless streak in the competition this season.

And those defeats have often come when going ahead. Indeed, only Real Oviedo (10) have dropped more points from winning positions in LaLiga in 2026 than Espanyol (seven, level with Elche).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Atletico Madrid – 61.6%

Draw – 21.3%

Espanyol – 17.1%