La Liga: Atleti’s Aim is to Outdo Real

Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone brings his Atletico Madrid to Castellon on Sunday to take on Villarreal in their last game of the 2022/23 La Liga campaign.

This game between Villarreal and Atletico Madridlooks like a tasty fixture at the best of times. If it weren’t on Matchday 38, there would undoubtedly be plenty riding on it.

But the title race is run and both Los Rojiblancos and the Yellow Submarine have their European places confirmed, so all that remains is to ensure your team doesn’t fizzle out.

And for Simeone’s men, they can still become Kings of Madrid by taking second place away from Los Blancos. Atleti beat Real Sociedad 2-1 last week to stay one point behind Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid, who are at home to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. 

Quique Setien’s Villarreal have confirmed their fifth place finish, and they lost their last game 2-1 away to Rayo Vallecano, but they will want to put on a show for their fans in a party atmosphere at the Estadio de la Ceramica.   

Talking Points

Jackson on fire for Villarreal

The pre-match La Liga 2023 betting odds make this a tight game with all three results in play. But with little other than a winning finish to play for, can the hosts maintain their level of intensity?

One player who won’t have any problem getting up for this game is Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson, who has just won the La Liga’s Player of the Month Award for May after he scored five goals and made two assists in five games to fire Villarreal to European football, and that takes him up to 11 for the campaign.

Jackson struggled in the first half of the season and was close to signing for Premier League side Bournemouth in January, but after shaking off a niggling hamstring injury, he has roared back in the second half of the campaign and he scored both goals as Villarreal beat Cadiz 2-0 in their last game at home.      

Make no mistake, this is a team which has finished comfortably in fifth place in one of the top leagues in the world, and Villarreal have plenty of players who can hurt the opposition.

Yeremy Pino is one of the best young players in Spain while Dani Parejo, at 34 and at the other end of his career, is still a class act in midfield.

And keep an eye on Giovanni Lo Celso, on loan from Spurs. The Argentine has enjoyed his time at Villarreal as an attacking midfielder, and he may well be on show in the Spanish league again next season.      

What a return for Griezmann

Atletico Madrid have a real chance of bettering their third place finish from last term with a little help from Athletic Bilbao, and the big story of Los Rojiblancos’ campaign has been the return of prodigal son Antoine Griezmann.

After becoming a talisman at the Metropolitano, he broke Atleti hearts when he switched to Barcelona for a €120 million fee in 2019. But in a period of transition at his new club, the France star never really settled in Catalonia, and he returned at the start of last season to his spiritual home on a one-year loan.

At the start of this campaign, his appearances were limited to 30 minutes a game as Atleti didn’t want to pay Barca the asking price for a full transfer, but a deal was struck in October and, when he was a Roijiblanco once more, Griezmann began to show his best form again.

He was sensational at the Qatar World Cup and, having scored 15 goals and made 14 assists, Griezmann is in my SBOTOP pal’s Best La Liga X1.  

In other Madrid news, another Atleti star is not so settled. Joao Felix, who has spent the last four months on loan at Chelsea, must wonder if he made the right decision, though a move to Newcastle or maybe even Barcelona may be on the cards for the young Portuguese star.

There is no way Atleti fans would swap Griezmann for Felix now.       

History

The Yellow Submarine has just about had the better of the head-to-heads with 16 wins to 14 in all meetings over the past 25 years, and Villarreal won 2-0 at the Civitas Metropolitano earlier this season thanks to goals from Pino and Gerard Moreno.

With identical La Liga 2023 results over the past six games at four wins, one draw and one defeat each, these are two teams in good form and with players who want to finish on a high.    

Betting Tip

With Villarreal at a price of 2.55 and Atleti at 2.33, there isn’t a lot to choose between these two teams. And I think they may well cancel each other out, which means a fifth versus third match may well finish exactly the same.

 

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