Atletico Madrid are going through a rough patch at the moment and will look to get their campaign back on track when they host Valencia on Saturday. The visitors have the quality to cause problems but Atletico remain solid at home and should pick up the maximum points.
It has been a difficult season for Atletico Madrid as they barely progressed from their UEFA Champions League group and are 13 points off the pace in La Liga. They have now also crashed out of the Copa Del Rey following a 2-0 defeat to Real Sociedad on Wednesday.
Atletico Madrid were held to a 2-2 draw by Villarreal in their previous La Liga fixture with Angel Correa opening the scoring before Geoffrey Kondogbia salvaged a point after the break. That result means they have claimed just one win from their last six league matches.
In the midst of all these problems, the Wanda Metropolitano has remained a fortress for Atletico Madrid, who have suffered just one home defeat all season. Diego Simeone’s men have won three of their last four home matches, keeping clean sheets in all three victories.
Valencia were not in Copa Del Rey action in midweek so their last outing was a 1-1 La Liga draw with Sevilla. They fell behind early in the contest after Mouctar Diakhaby put through his own net but Goncalo Guedes struck back just before the break.
That result means Valencia are now winless in their last three La Liga matches, suffering two defeats in that run. Jose Bordalas’ men are currently ninth on the table but still have hopes of a European finish as they sit just two points behind Barcelona in sixth place.
Valencia have also been unconvincing on their travels this season and suffered a 4-1 defeat to Real Madrid in their previous away fixture.
How the bookies view it
Despite their recent problems, Atletico Madrid are still considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies at 51/100 by novibet. A victory for Valencia is priced at 15/2 by bet365 while SBK is offering odds of 16/5 for a draw.
Recent head to head
Atletico Madrid are unbeaten in the last 14 matches with Valencia, winning two of the last three meetings. However, both teams played out a 3-3 draw in the reverse fixture back in November.
Players to watch
Atletico Madrid often try to keep things tight at the back on home soil with three clean sheets in their last four La Liga matches at the Wanda Metropolitano. Felipe and Mario Hermoso are likely to continue in defence and could lead the champions to another clean sheet at 10/11 with Paddy Power.
At the other end of the pitch, Angel Correa has been the man in form lately with three goals in his last two La Liga appearances. Vbet has the Argentine striker at odds of 2/1 to score anytime on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Atletico Madrid’s defensive record at home means BTTS NO could be considered at 3/4 with SBK. The champions have won to nil in three of their last four home matches and a repeat could be on the cards at 13/10 with BetVictor.
Atletico Madrid can also be tipped as the only team to score on Saturday at 6/5 with bet365.
This La Liga match between Atletico Madrid and Valencia will be played on Jan 22, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Atletico Madrid vs Valencia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.