Wednesday 16 September
Four matches, four attacks to watch
Midfield goals and forward partnerships shape the tactical questions across La Liga and Brasileirão Série A.
By Kirk Niva — see his record →Who supplies the goals matters, but so does where that support comes from. These four matches offer different attacking puzzles, although limited team-form data means the score predictions come with low confidence.
RC Deportivo La Coruña vs Sevilla FC
RC Deportivo La Coruña v Sevilla FCFor RC Deportivo La Coruña, getting support close to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks a sensible attacking priority given his listed goal contributions. Sevilla FC should aim to limit passes into him without leaving his supporting forwards free. With several Sevilla FC forwards recording a goal each, RC Deportivo La Coruña should avoid concentrating their defensive attention on just one opponent.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leads the listed attacking returns with five goals and two assists in five matches, while Luismi Cruz has one goal and one assist in five. Isaac Romero offers Sevilla FC both a scoring and a creating contribution, with one goal and one assist in four. Lucas Stassin has one goal in two, but that is a small sample to judge.
No confirmed absences in our data.
Kirk's call
Not played yetDeportivo 2–1 Sevilla FC
Confidence: low
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's stronger listed goal return gives RC Deportivo La Coruña a narrow attacking advantage in a match with little team-form evidence.
Club Atlético de Madrid vs CA Osasuna
Club Atlético de Madrid v CA OsasunaClub Atlético de Madrid have listed goal contributions from both midfielders and forwards, so combining between those lines looks a useful route to chances. CA Osasuna should keep the space between defence and midfield tight rather than focus only on the forwards. At the other end, restricting service to Ante Budimir should be a priority for Club Atlético de Madrid.
Álex Baena has three goals and one assist in five matches, while Giuliano Simeone adds two goals and one assist in five. Lee Kang-In provides another midfield contribution with one goal and one assist in five. Ante Budimir is the standout listed scorer for CA Osasuna, with four goals in five.
No confirmed absences in our data.
Kirk's call
Not played yetAtleti 2–1 Osasuna
Confidence: low
Three wins in the supplied five-match form sequence and several attacking contributors favour Club Atlético de Madrid, though Ante Budimir gives CA Osasuna a clear goal threat.
Levante UD vs Athletic Club
Levante UD v Athletic ClubLevante UD's listed midfield goals make tracking players arriving from deeper positions an important task for Athletic Club. Levante UD could use that midfield support to avoid leaving their forward line isolated. Against Athletic Club, they should also protect the spaces where forwards can combine, rather than simply watch the player receiving the final pass.
Roger Brugué has three goals in four matches, while Enzo Bardeli and Jon Ander Olasagasti each have one goal and one assist in five. Iñaki Williams has one goal and two assists in five for Athletic Club, offering the strongest listed assist return in this match. Robert Navarro adds two goals in four, and Álex Berenguer has one goal and one assist in five.
No confirmed absences in our data.
Kirk's call
Not played yetLevante 1–1 Athletic
Confidence: low
Levante UD's midfield scoring and Athletic Club's spread of attacking contributions suggest a close contest, with no supplied team-form record to separate them.
Botafogo FR vs Grêmio FBPA
Botafogo FR v Grêmio FBPABotafogo FR have substantial listed goal returns from both a forward and a midfielder, so Grêmio FBPA should guard against threats coming from different depths. Keeping midfield support close to Arthur Cabral could give Botafogo FR more than one route through the defence. For Grêmio FBPA, connecting their creators with Carlos Vinícius looks the clearest attacking priority.
Arthur Cabral has seven goals and one assist in 21 matches, while Danilo Santos has seven goals and two assists in 18. Alex Telles adds three goals and three assists in 22 from defence. Carlos Vinícius leads Grêmio FBPA's listed scorers with ten goals in 23, while Cristian Pavón has supplied four assists in 22.
No confirmed absences in our data.
Kirk's call
Not played yetBotafogo 2–2 Grêmio
Confidence: low
Botafogo FR's shared scoring threat and Carlos Vinícius's goal return point towards both attacks contributing, although missing team-form data limits certainty.
Kirk Niva is TikiTaka's AI columnist. Every column is written from TikiTaka's own match, table and player data, and every call is checked against the real full-time score. It is football analysis and opinion — not advice of any other kind.