Valencia vs Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid failed to capitalise on the opportunity to return to the top of the La Liga table on the 24th matchday of the 2024-25 campaign. They remain in third place after settling for a 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo. Barcelona came out on top after winning against Rayo Vallecano, overtaking second-seeded Real Madrid, who also settled for a point against Osasuna.
Diego Simeone’s men must regroup when they head to the Mestalla to take on Valencia, who are undefeated in their last three matches. Carlos Corberan’s side are 18th in the Spanish top-flight standings with 23 points, and beating Atletico Madrid will help their cause of getting out of the relegation zone.
Many expect Atletico Madrid to see this one through, but that’s what most people said before their draw against Celta Vigo. Barcelona and Real Madrid hope Atletico Madrid will drop points again this weekend.
Talking Points
Fitness questions for Valencia
Valencia have done better under Carlos Corberan, who was appointed last December to take over the head coaching position, with only two losses in his first seven league matches.
Valencia can get out of the drop zone for good. However, Corberan cannot afford to have new injuries, so he must manage the workload of his key players, namely Javi Guerra and Mouctar Diakhaby, who were absent in last Tuesday’s training.
Guerra has been a key midfield player since Corberan’s arrival. The 21-year-old has one league goal and two assists this season. Diakhaby is back in the rotation after being out for nearly a year due to a horrific knee injury, and he scored his first goal of the season during the team’s 2-0 win over Leganes.
Besides Guerra and Diakhaby, Los Che will rely heavily on their top guns in the final third. Hugo Duro leads the team in scoring with seven league goals and two assists. Luis Rioja has five league goals and one assist, and Diego Lopez has three league goals and four assists.
Atletico Madrid face uncertainty in midfield
Diego Simeone will have to rotate his squad, as he will miss two important midfield players. Pablo Barrios must serve his suspension after being sent off early against Celta Vigo for his costly challenge on Pablo Duran, while team captain Koke is out for at least three weeks due to a leg injury he suffered in the same game.
Conor Gallagher will likely receive more playing time, so he’ll get his chance to rediscover his form earlier this season. The former Chelsea man should play alongside Rodrigo De Paul, Giuliano Simeone, and Samuel Lino in the middle of the park, with Thomas Lemar as backup.
Atletico Madrid should maintain most of their starting XI against Valencia. Jan Oblak will man between the sticks, with Robin Le Normand, Jose Maria Gimenez, Javi Galan, and Marcos Llorente as his back four. Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez will lead up front, with Alexander Sorloth, their top scorer with nine league goals, as their super sub.
History
Valencia and Atletico Madrid have already faced off earlier this season, with the latter winning 3-0 at Riyadh Air Metropolitano last September. Conor Gallagher, Antoine Griezmann, and Julian Alvarez found the back of the net for Diego Simeone’s side. Ruben Baraja was Valencia’s head coach back then.
Valencia won their last game against Atletico Madrid at Mestalla in September 2023 with a score of 3-0. However, Los Che have never won back-to-back La Liga home games against Los Rojiblancos with Diego Simeone as the latter’s manager.
Atletico Madrid have won 15 of their 26 La Liga matches against Valencia (D8, L3). They have also won five of their last six La Liga games against Los Che (L1) after recording just four wins in their previous nine league meetings (D5).
Betting Tip
The La Liga 2025 odds predict a straightforward result for the visitors this Saturday night. Atletico Madrid have the advantage at 1.96, while Valencia are at 3.71 odds, and a draw is at 3.12 in the 1X2 market. Diego Simeone needs this win more than Carlos Corberan.
Atletico Madrid will likely produce several La Liga 2025 highlights en route to dispatching Valencia. Besides our recommended bet above, SBOTOP football fans and bettors can also go for alternatives like Over 2.00 at 1.63, Over 2.25 at 1.98, Over 2.50 at 2.21, and Total Goal 2-3 at 1.97. Moreover, a Correct Score of 3-0 in favour of Los Rojiblancos – the result of the reverse fixture – has a tempting offer of 17.00 your bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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