Prediction: Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla

Verdict: Home win

Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker: William Hill

Fourth-placed Atletico Madrid need to continue the rich vein of form if they are to ward off attempts of Villarreal and Real Sociedad to break into the Champions League positions. Sevilla, on the other hand, have been knocked out of Europe’s elite competition and will now be looking to revive their title bid in La Liga.

Atletico Madrid

This is the first season after quite a while when Atletico Madrid will not be challenging for the La Liga trophy, and what is more, even a top 4 finish is in danger at the moment. With 11 games to go, los Colchoneros sit just four points clear of Real Sociedad and Villarreal, while trailing next opponents Sevilla five points. With Jorge Sampaoli’s side going through a difficult patch at the moment, this will feel like an opportunity for Atletico Madrid to edge closer to automatic Champions League berth, but first Diego Simeone’s charges will learn the name of their rivals in the CL quarter-finals. Los Colchoneros made it to the last eight thanks to a 4-2 aggregate win over Bayer Leverkusen, with an impressive performance in the first leg making the difference. Atletico Madrid were not exactly at their best in the return match, but Jan Oblak came to the rescue several times, ensuring the team kept third successive clean sheet. Diego Simeone’s men didn’t really impress in their previous fixtures at Vicente Calderon, winning three of last six and twice losing to Barcelona, but this is definitely a good time to be facing out-of-form Sevilla.

Team News

Diego Simeone welcomes back Kevin Gameiro after he recovered from an abdominal strain, while Gabi and Juanfran should also be fit to play.

Sevilla

What looked like a very promising season could turn into a disappointing one for Sevilla, who have been surprisingly eliminated from the Champions League by Premier League strugglers Leicester City. Los Rojiblancos had two penalties saved over the course of two legs and missed few more clear-cut chances, meaning they’ve got nobody else to blame but themselves for missing an excellent opportunity to make it to the quarter-finals. All that’s left now is for the team to try and ensure a strong finish to the league campaign, but it would appear as though their title bid is all but over following back to back setbacks against Deportivo Alaves and Leganes. At the same time, even a top 3 finish will be in danger if Sevilla lose at Vicente Calderon, so it goes without saying that the stakes will be high when los Rojiblancos take on Atletico Madrid on Sunday afternoon. Jorge Sampaoli’s men have had mixed success on the road over the last month or so, winning two and losing two of their last five away fixtures, so no wonder their opponents have been made odds-on favourites to win.

Team News

Jorge Sampaoli faces a genuine selection headache with David Soria, Adil Rami, Joaquin Correa and Nico Pareja all rated doubtful.

The good news is that Michael Krohn-Dehli has resumed training after missing nearly a year of action, but he will need some more time before he is ready for first team football.

Key Factors to Consider

• At least one team failed to score in their last five meetings
• Sevilla scored just one goal in those five matches
• Atletico are unbeaten in last 8 home games vs Sevilla (W4 D4)
• Los Colchoneros did not concede in last three fixtures
• Sevilla are winless in last three matches (D2 L1)

Conclusion

It is easy to see that Atletico Madrid head into the game in much better form than the opposition and having done really well in previous meetings with Sevilla, we are backing them to emerge victorious from Sunday’s clash as well.

Verdict: Home win

Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker: William Hill