Diego Simeone has encouraged Atletico Madrid to build on the encouraging signs from their display, even as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Espanyol in the opening fixture of the 2025-26 La Liga campaign.
Athletic Bilbao missed an opportunity to reduce the gap with the top two in La Liga as they were held to a 1-1 draw by struggling Espanyol on Sunday in a match that was briefly halted following racist chanting aimed at Bilbao forward Maroan Sannadi.
Real Madrid have lodged a complaint over the refereeing in their La Liga defeat to Espanyol, claiming the game had "a level of manipulation and adulteration which cannot be ignored".
Real Madrid were beaten 1-0 by Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium on Saturday in a match overshadowed by refereeing controversy.
Real Madrid have suffered another blow in the defensive department as Antonio Rudiger was forced off after just 15 minutes in the 1-0 loss to Espanyol on Saturday.
Real Madrid, with 12 victories in their last 14 matches across all competitions, are set to maintain their winning streak against struggling Espanyol in La Liga this Saturday.