Mateu Alemany backs Julián Álvarez to fire vs Stuttgart

Mateu Alemany, Atlético de Madrid’s director of Professional Football, previewed the Champions League match at the MHP Arena against VfB Stuttgart and sounded confident about Julián Álvarez. “He’s showing in the last matches that he’s there, and that’s the most important thing… I think today he’s going to start scoring,” he said.

Alemany also made it clear the team can’t afford to relax. With the Champions League regular phase now played over eight matches, he pointed out the stakes after the previous trip to Anfield, where Atlético lost to Liverpool: “We lost at Anfield and it’s important to win today.”

On Stuttgart’s strengths, he warned that German teams are tough in this kind of setting: they “press a lot,” play very physically and the atmosphere “puts pressure on you.” He stressed Atlético’s collective approach while acknowledging the form around the squad, including Álex Baena’s domestic output this season.