Valencia vs Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid head to Valencia for a Sunday afternoon meeting knowing full well that they are in for a hot and hostile reception from their hosts, but they need to ride it and then conquer.
The Mestalla Stadium is one of the most feared venues in European football and the fans are demanding of success. If Atleti can keep their hosts quiet in the first half then that could easily work to their advantage.
Diego Simeone’s side is currently in fourth place in the La Liga table with three points behind leaders Real Sociedad and with a better goal difference.
But in between at second and third place sit Real Madrid and Sevilla and, despite the absence of Barcelona in the race, this looks like it could turn out to be another hugely competitive battle for the title.
Jose Bordalas’ Valencia are a decent outfit as they’re currently in 10th place and level on points with Barcelona as it happens. And they come into the game on the back of a confidence boosting win over Villarreal, while Atleti need to recover from a Champions League defeat to Liverpool.
Simeone’s side can’t afford another setback on Sunday which may leave them four or five points adrift of their rivals. But their hosts, who are backed by a passionate crowd, could stretch then to the limit.
This is a big test of Atletico Madrid’s title credentials.
Talking Points
Valencia’s midfield strength
Los Che’s victory over Villarreal in the derby was their first win in eight games and Bordalas’ team didn’t have it all their own way. But it got their season back up and running and they are in the right half of the table.
Midfield man Carlos Soler was on target to make it four goals and two assists for the season, while his partner Goncalo Guedes has been productive too with three goals at two assists.
These two have carried the attack while strikers Denis Cheryshev, Maxi Gomez, and Hugo Duro have struggled for form – scoring three goals between them.
Valencia have Danish midfielder Daniel Wass who adds experience and class while attacking midfielder Helder Costa is making a good case following his summer loan move from Leeds United.
The enforcing work is done by Olmar Alderete, who has picked up seven yellow cards, as his main job is to break up opponents’ plays.
Overall, this is a strong midfield which holds the key to Valencia’s success and Atletico Madrid will have their work cut out for them.
Time for Atletico to step up
The very latest La Liga 2021 betting odds pitch Atletico as second favourites to win the title at a price of 4.50, trailing Real Madrid at 1.61, a figure which has dropped following Los Rojiblancos’ draws against Real Soceidad and Levante.
They got back on track with a convincing 3-0 victory over high-flying Real Betis before suffering that Champions League setback against Liverpool.
On the whole, Atleti’s La Liga 2021 results have been fair enough with six wins, four draws, and a single defeat, but their confidence may have been knocked following two losses in quick succession to Liverpool.
Luis Suarez has been carrying much of the responsibility at Atletico and with six goals to his name he is at SBOTOP odds of 6.50 to win the Golden Boot.
Joao Felix has returned form injury and is showing signs of the player Atleti fans want to see, while Antoine Griezmann will be fit, fresh, and ready to go at the Mestalla.
Argentine duo Rodrigo De Paul and Angel Correa are effective in midfield alongside Yannick Carrasco who scored against Betis last week and, while Marcos Llorente and Thomas Lemar remain sidelined, skipper Koke is leading a side full of talent.
And with the experience of Kieran Trippier and keeper Jan Oblak at the back, this team is not about potential, it is about expectation.
They won the title last season and Los Rojiblancos fans want more of the same.
History
The Valencia-Atletico Madrid head-to-heads have been very close over the past 60 games with Los Rojiblancos winning by 22 to 20 Los Che victories and there have been 18 draws.
Simeone’s side has successfully silenced the Mestalla crowd for some time as Valencia’s last home win against Atletico came back in 2014.
Last season, a Toni Lato own goal gave Atleti a 1-0 win and then later in the campaign, they completed the double with a 3-1 victory at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Betting Tip
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Valencia vs Atletico Madrid | 1X2 Atletico Madrid @ 1.93 |
| November 06,23:15 (GMT+8) |
With Valencia at odds of 3.78 and the draw at 3.20, the stats guys reckon there will be more success at the Mestalla for Los Rojiblancos and I’m happy to go with that.
While Simeone’s men are yet to find consistency, I think they have too much quality for Los Che and a repeat of last season’s 0-1 result is the most likely outcome once again at odds of 5.22.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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