Prediction: Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla

Verdict: Atletico/Atletico

Best Odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: 888sport

High-flying Atletico Madrid play host to out-of-sorts Sevilla in the first leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals and there are no doubts Diego Simeone’s men are considered favourites to go through. Having lost last three La Liga fixtures, los Rojiblancos will be very low on confidence going into the high-profile clash.

Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid didn’t have the best of starts to the new season, but Diego Simeone’s men kept working hard and eventually managed to come good. Los Colchoneros have been pretty impressive since the beginning of November, winning 11 of last 14 matches and losing just once in all those games. The excellent run saw Atletico climb to second in the La Liga standings, while they also eased off to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, where they are set to meet out-of-sorts Sevilla. Los Colchoneros fans have plenty of reason to be excited ahead of the business end of the season, as the arrival of Spain internationals Diego Costa and Vitolo provided another major boost, with the former bagging two goals in his first two appearances, albeit also earning a red card in the 2-0 win over Getafe. Kevin Gameiro stepped up the plate in Diego Costa’s absence to score the winner over high-flying Eibar, with Diego Simeone’s charges showing a great deal of character to overcome the La Liga surprise package. Atletico have now been made odds-on favourites to defeat Sevilla and we are backing them to win the first leg.

Team News

Gabi, Stefan Savic and Diego Costa return from La Liga bans, whereas January recruit Vitolo is expected to start his second game for Atletico.

Sevilla

This has been a pretty disappointing season for Sevilla so far, and new head coach Vincenzo Montella has yet to bring any sort of improvement. While they did well to win both Copa del Rey fixtures against minnows Cadiz, los Rojiblancos have been utterly disappointing in the league of late, taking just one point from last five La Liga matches. What is more, Sevilla conceded no fewer than 14 goals in the process, which is enough to suggest that Montella first need to find a way to patch up the leaky back line. The players are clearly low on confidence after such a bad run of results and even though captains Nico Pareja and Daniel Carrico are not yet ready to return into action, the fact they are back training with the group could provide a useful lift during this very difficult period. The Italian coach hasn’t got the courtesy of resting his star players in the Copa del Rey clash against Atletico due to the severity of the situation, but it remains to be seen whether los Rojiblancos will be a match for their more illustrious opponents, having lost last three away matches against La Liga opposition.

Team News

Nico Pareja and Daniel Carrico are not yet ready to return, but there are no other selection worries for Vincenzo Montella.

Key Factors to Consider

• Atletico won 11 of last 14 matches (D2 L1)
• Los Colchoneros won last four games without conceding
• Sevilla lost last three La Liga games
• Atletico won last two home games vs Sevilla by a two-goal margin
• Los Rojiblancos scored just twice in last seven meetings with Atletico

Conclusion

Past meetings, current form and many other factors seem to point out that Atletico will record a somewhat comfortable triumph over struggling Sevilla, and we have no reason to doubt that will be the case.

Verdict: Atletico/Atletico

Best Odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: 888sport