Atletico Madrid’s turbulent season is in dire need of a spark as they travel to Real Betis for a La Liga fixture on Sunday. The champions have been poor on their recent travels and given their depleted squad, are expected to struggle at Betis, who often do their best work at home.
Real Betis head into Sunday’s clash on a high after beating Rayo Vallecano to reach the Copa Del Rey final. They played out a 1-1 draw on Thursday but a 2-1 victory in the first leg earned them a 3-2 aggregate win and a chance for silverware this season.
Beyond the potential Copa Del Rey glory, Real Betis already have plenty of reasons to be pleased with their campaign. Sitting third on the table, six points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid, they are well on course to secure a top four finish.
Manuel Pellegrini’s men have won seven of their last 10 home matches and earned a 2-1 victory over Mallorca in their previous fixture in front of their fans.
It has been a disappointing title defence for Atletico Madrid, who are well off the pace in La Liga. Their best bet now is a top four finish as they sit fifth on the table, level on 45 posts with fourth placed Barcelona.
Atletico Madrid have attempted to get their campaign back on track in recent weeks, winning three of their last four La Liga matches. They claimed a 2-0 victory over Celta Vigo in their previous fixture with Renan Lodi netting a brace.
One of the problems Atletico Madrid have endured this term is their poor form on the road which has seen them suffer four defeats in their last six away matches. They are also depleted at the moment with Mario Hermoso, Stefan Savic and Geoffrey Kondogbia among a number of key players ruled out of Sunday’s clash.
How the bookies view it
Despite their poor away record, Atletico Madrid still have the upper hand among the bookies at 7/5 with Sport Nation. A victory for Real Betis is valued at 41/19 by Vbet while a draw is set at odds 12/5 by Skybet.
Head to head
Atletico Madrid have a 24-12 advantage with 14 draws from 50 previous matches with Real Betis. Atletico claimed a 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in October.
Players to watch
Borja Iglesias was on target on Thursday and could be the one to watch for Real Betis as he tends to go on scoring runs. The striker has seven La Liga goals this season and is priced at 11/5 with BetVictor to get on the score sheet on Sunday.
Angel Correa appears to be the biggest attacking threat for Atletico Madrid and will be the one to watch on Sunday. The Argentine striker has seven goals in his last eight La Liga matches and is priced at 11/4 with betfair.
Anything else catch the eye?
Atletico Madrid have lost their trademark defensive solidity and given their depleted backline, are likely to concede on Sunday. They have plenty of quality in attack which means both teams could be backed to score at 7/9 with SBK.
There has been over 2.5 goals in Atletico Madrid’s last five away matches and a similar outcome is priced at 22/23 with SBK. Both teams have had a few late goals in recent weeks so the second half could be tipped as the highest scoring half at 11/10 with Skybet.
This La Liga match between Real Betis and Atletico Madrid will be played on Mar 6, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Betis vs Atletico Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
