La Liga: Atleti Plan to Extend Table Lead With a Win Over Eibar

Eibar vs Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone’s boys will gear up for their next La Liga match as they visit Eibar over at the Municipal de Ipurua this weekend.

Atletico Madrid remain on top of the Spanish top-flight standings with 41 points and they have a four-point lead over the defending champions in Real Madrid, who sit at second place.

At the same time, this will only be their 17^th match of the season, whereas most teams are approaching their 19^th or even 20^th.

They will face an Eibar club who is trying to scrape their way out of the relegation zone. Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side is currently at 15^th and are level with Valencia for 19 points.

While Los Rojiblancos are riding hot in form with their string of favourable La Liga 2021 results, the same can’t be said for the home side since they have only won once in their last five.

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Furthermore, the SBOTOP betting odds don’t back Eibar to get out with three vital points in this weekend’s match. But can they prove their doubters wrong?

Today, we present to you some of the key talking points ahead of this fixture.

Talking Points

Atletico Madrid are peaking at the right time

Diego Simeone’s side has responded well in the challenges they’ve faced so far this term.

Atletico Madrid have now won five straight league games since their December loss against Real Madrid, and the best part about it is that they are entering the lighter part of their schedule.

After this game against Eibar, Los Rojiblancos will have Valencia, Cadiz, Celta Vigo, Granada, and Levante on the menu up until mid-February.

Assuming they ace all of these tests, Atletico Madrid should already be distinguished as contenders instead of pretenders.

They have caught everyone by surprise not only because of their inspired play, but also with the way they battled through their share of injuries and suspensions.

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Stefan Savic, Mario Hermoso, Yannick Carrasco, Marcos Llorente, and Thomas Lemar emerged as unexpected stars and their consistency will be crucial as they have a huge target on their backs.

Even with Moussa Dembele joining the team in the next few months which would make them a more dangerous club, Los Rojiblancos won’t wait any longer to try and grab their first La Liga title since the 2014 season.

Eibar need goals to win

For Eibar to have a chance in this contest, they need to live up to their nickname which is called “Los Armeros”.

Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side is the second-worst attacking team in La Liga, only putting in 15 goals while conceding 18 so far this term.

Their recent form has been inconsistent, but it was good enough to put them points ahead of the drop zone.

In one occasion, they held a strong Barcelona team to a 1-1 draw. But it was followed up by tough losses to Alaves and Levante.

Their top scorers in Kike and Esteban Burgos have yet to open their accounts for the year 2021 and they have to regain their shooting touch sooner than later.

History

Atletico Madrid and Eibar have faced off in 18 matches prior to this weekend’s fixture.

Los Rojiblancos own the major edge in the overall head-to-heads with 12 wins. Meanwhile, Eibar have only won twice along with two draws.

One of those rare wins came during January 2020 where they outclassed Atleti 2-0 at home when Esteban Burgos scored a brace.

Prior to that, Atleti won 3-2 over Eibar on September 2019, and it was the last time either team reached at least three goals in their matchup.

Betting Tip

	Eibar vs Atletico Madrid	Atletico Madrid Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 1.96
	January 22, 04:30 (GMT+8)

The La Liga 2021 odds are backing Los Rojiblancos to win in this match via a considerable margin.

In the 1X2 market, Atletico Madrid are pegged at 1.73, while Eibar are priced at 4.80 and chances for a draw are at 3.50.

Atletico Madrid are known for their defencively robust and gritty style of football. If you combine that with Eibar’s struggles in attack, going for Under 2.50 @ 1.77 isn’t such a bad alternative.

While Eibar will do everything they can to put up a valiant stand against Atletico Madrid, there’s a reason why the latter is sitting on top of the table.

Diego Simeone’s side may very well overpower Eibar and that should give them more momentum as they try to widen the gap against other title challengers.