Prediction: Atletico Madrid vs Valencia

Prediction: Atletico win

Best Odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: 888sport

We’re in for another slate of La Liga fixtures this weekend as we continue to push through the second half of the campaign. There’s still a whole lot to compete for at both ends of the table and with 13 games left to be played, a few twists and turns could be on the horizon. Today, we’ll be taking a look at a meeting between two clubs that are very familiar with one another – Atletico Madrid and Valencia.

Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid were a bit shaky to kickstart the campaign but in recent weeks and months, they’ve slowly but surely been piecing everything back together. They are fairly comfortable in third place without any real hope of launching a push for the title, and at this stage, the plan seems to be cruising through to June before taking a look at how they can challenge again next season.

Team News

Reinildo is out of action through injury with Reguilon being listed as a fitness concern.

Valencia

As has been the case for Sevilla, Valencia have really struggled to string together any kind of consistency so far this season. They got off to a slow start and never really managed to recover, leaving them dwindling down in the bottom half with a relegation battle on their hands. That’s still the position they find themselves in, with the hope being that they can edge towards survival and start from scratch in the summer.

Team News

The following players are confirmed to be out of action through injury: Paulista, Andre, Lato, Cavani, Gonzalez and Domenech.

Factors to Consider

• In their last meeting back in August, Atletico beat Valencia 1-0.
• Atletico have won four and drawn two of their last six games.
• Valencia have won two and lost four of their last six games.
• Atletico have scored 11 goals and conceded three in their last six games.
• Valencia have scored three goals and conceded five in their last six games.

Conclusion

Despite what the odds, form and logic may suggest, we think there’s more to this one than meets the eye. These two clubs know each other better than most and given Valencia’s fairly solid defensive record as of late, we do expect them to frustrate Atletico until late in the game. Alas, they won’t be able to hold out, with the hosts just about managing to nudge the ball over the line and claim all three points.

Prediction: Atletico win

Best Odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: 888sport