Atletico Madrid vs Valencia Betting Preview & Odds
In-Form Valencia Head to Madrid
Atletico Back in Top Four
Valencia have gone from relegation survivors to European contenders and they’re on a four-game winning streak heading into Sunday’s La Liga game at Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, Atletico recently re-entered La Liga’s top four with a 1-0 win over Granada.
Our Atletico Madrid vs Valencia betting preview will take a closer look at the odds and team news from an intriguing La Liga clash. Both sides are firmly in the top half of the La Liga table and have been playing excellent football lately.
Atletico Madrid vs Valencia
Day/Time:
Location: Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Head-to-Head
Atletico Madrid vs Valencia betting preview note that Valencia broke a 17-game winless run vs Atleti back in September. Hugo Duro scored twice in Valencia’s dominant 3-0 win at the Estadio de Mestalla. Bettors have to go back to 2011 for Valencia’s last road victory at Atletico Madrid in La Liga. Atletico Madrid have won the last three meetings in Madrid and scored three goals in each match.
Atletico Madrid Unbeaten at Home
It’s been an excellent week for Atletico Madrid. Atleti took down rivals Real 4-2 in the Copa del Rey round of 16 last Thursday and defeated Granada 1-0 in La Liga on Sunday.
It was Atletico’s second extra time match vs Real in an eight day period. After falling 5-3 in extra time in the Supercopa de España Semifinal, Antoine Griezmann and Rodrigo Riquelme scored in the Copa del Rey extra time period. Griezmann also provided the assist for Alvaro Morata’s winner on Sunday.
Griezmann and Morata have been two of the league’s best players this season and have contributed to a ton of goals. Morata has 19 goals and two assists, in all competitions, while Griezmann has 18 goals and five assists. Atletico Madrid have also played 14 home games this season overall, and are an excellent 13-1-0.
They take on Sevilla at the Metropolitano on Thursday in the Copa del Rey Quarter-final before hosting Valencia on Sunday. Atletico are an experienced La Liga team that have been a superb pick for soccer betting at home this season.
While behind in the La Liga title race, Atletico could challenge for the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League this season. At the moment, Reinildo Mandava, Thomas Lemar and Cesar Azpilicueta are out.
Valencia on League’s Joint-Longest Active Winning Streak
Valencia have gone under the radar this season but they’ve picked up some solid La Liga results in recent weeks. They’re on a four-game winning streak, which is tied with Real Madrid for the longest active winning streak in La Liga.
Last Saturday, Valencia took down Athletic Club 1-0 as Hugo Duro scored the game’s only goal on a header. It was Duro’s ninth goal of the season and the 24-year old striker is enjoying a breakout campaign.
Even though it was a great result for Valencia, Sergi Canos came off injured just 15 minutes into Saturday’s victory. The winger is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s match at Atletico Madrid.
Meanwhile, Mouctar Diakhaby and Selim Amallah are away at the Africa Cup of Nations and Andre Almeida is injured. While Atletico Madrid are achieving success with an experienced roster, Valencia are quite young.
Of the 11 La Liga players who have logged the most minutes for Los Murcielagos this season, only Gabriel Paulista is over 30. Valencia hold a 9-5-7 record in La Liga at the moment, which is good enough for seventh place. They’re currently in position for a UEFA Europa Conference League place but they’ll be thinking about more.
Match Analysis & Odds
Until a 3-3 draw vs Getafe in December, Atletico Madrid were on a club record 20-game home winning streak. Since then, they’ve won their last two home matches and haven’t lost at the Metropolitano for over a year.
Atletico Madrid vs Valencia betting preview note that hosts Atleti are -200 favorites for this one. They’ve already lost to Valencia this La Liga season but have dominated this fixture over the past decade.
Valencia come in as +500 underdogs and have just a 3-3-5 record away from home in La Liga this season. Two of those road wins have come on the last four matchdays, though. Atletico -1 sits at -120 odds for Saturday’s match, while Valencia +1 is priced at even La Liga odds. Notably, Atletico have not won a La Liga match by more than a one-goal margin since mid November.
Los Murcielagos aren’t going to let their winning streak go easily and this could end up being a difficult match for Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. Still, they tend to win at home and the duo of Morata and Griezmann could continue to carry them. With under 2.5, 3 goals priced at -120 goals, this could be a low-scoring match.
For La Liga betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
