Atletico Madrid begin their La Liga campaign with a Monday night clash with newly promoted Granada at the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano. Considered one of the title contenders this season, Atletico will be keen to make a positive start and should be too strong for the visitors.
Atletico Madrid are always rated as one of the three contenders for La Liga, although they were well off the pace in last season’s race. They may have eventually finished third but that was down to a superb run in the second half of the season following a poor start to the campaign.
Despite unconvincing preseason where they claimed just one win from five matches, Atletico Madrid will be keen to avoid last season’s poor start. They were not overly active in the transfer window but crucially, held on to most of their key players.
Atletico Madrid are usually one of the most solid defences in La Liga but with Jose Jimenez and Reinildo ruled out with injury, they could find themselves slightly exposed. The good thing for Diego Simeone’s men is that the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano remains a fortress where they have won their last nine La Liga matches.
There are few tasks as daunting as Atletico Madrid away and that is what Granada have to contend with on their return to topflight action. They were champions in the second tier last season but an opening day trip to the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano is likely to show them the gap in quality at the elite level.
The primary objective for Granada will be to maintain their topflight status this season, although a few major scalps along the way would be appreciated. The key will be to avoid a repeat of the 2021-22 season where they failed to win any of their opening seven matches, setting the tone for their poor campaign and eventual relegation.
Manager Vincente Moreno will be keen to build on some solid preseason showings as Granada claimed four wins from five matches. However, they only faced lower league sides and ended the summer with a 1-0 defeat to Almeria un their final warm-up game.
How the bookies view it
Atletico Madrid are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 2/7 by William Hill. An unlikely victory for Granada is valued at 10/1 by BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 9/2 by bet365.
Head to head
Atletico Madrid have only lost once to Granada, claiming 13 wins and playing out four draws from 18 previous matches. One of those draws came in the last meeting at the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano as both teams battled to a 0-0 scoreline in April 2022.
Players to watch
Atletico Madrid have plenty of attacking options with Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata, Memphis Depay and Angel Corea all available to feature. However, Griezmann carries the most goal threat and could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 11/8 with bet365.
With Atletico Madrid missing some key players at the back, Granada will be looking for opportunities to hit on the break. Myrto Uzuni scored 23 goals in the second-tier last season and will be the one to watch on Monday at 4/1 with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
Atletico Madrid have not looked convincing at the back lately and with both teams scoring in three of the last four meetings, a similar outcome could be on the cards at 11/10 with bet365. They saw over 3.5 goals in five of their final eight home matches last season and a repeat is priced at 7/4 with Betfred while BetVictor is offering 7/10 for over 2.5 goals.
Atletico will be keen to flex their attacking muscles in front of their fans on opening day and could be tipped to score in both halves at evens with BoyleSports. A -2 handicap can also be considered at odds of 5/2 with Paddy Power.
This La Liga match between Atletico Madrid and Granada will be played on Aug 14, 2023 and kick off at 20:30. Check below for our tipsters best Atletico Madrid vs Granada prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
