Valencia will take on Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday, 22 February with the title race now at boiling point.
As things stand, just one point separates the top three teams in the division which means a win for Atletico this weekend could see them go top of the league if other results go their way.
Valencia, a team who were once involved in such races, are now battling against relegation in the Spanish top flight. A loss this weekend would mean they remain in the bottom three of the another week.
How the bookies view it: The hosts start as underdogs
Valencia start the match as huge underdogs with the bookies despite being the home team but considering the gap between the two sides, this was always going to be the case. BoyleSports have priced a home win at 16/5 while a victory for Atletico Madrid has been priced at 5/6. The draw, which would be a better result for Valencia, has been priced at 9/4.
Recent head-to-head: Advantage Atletico
Atletico's status as pre-match favourites is only reinforced by their recent record against Valencia. Diego Simeone's men have won five of their last six matches against Valencia and beat them 3-0 at home earlier this season. One bit of positive news for Valencia is the fact that they have avoided defeat in two of their last three matches against Atletico at the Mestalla.
Players to watch: Can Alvarez find his form in La Liga?
Julian Alvarez has had a pretty good first season with Atletico Madrid but one blemish on his record so far is his goalscoring record in La Liga.
In the Copa del Rey, he has scored four goals in five appearances and in the Champions League, he has scored six goals in eight appearances. Both of these returns are excellent and what you'd expect from a man that cost more than £80m but his league return is lagging behind.
So far, the Argentinian has scored just seven goals in La Liga in 24 appearances and if Atletico are to beat Real Madrid and Barcelona to the title then he is going to need to step up and improve his record to at least one goal every other game. What can he do this weekend to show he is up for the fight?
Predicted line-ups
Valencia are running out of excuses for their dismal campaign and they can no longer blame injuries as their only absentee this weekend is Thierry Correia with a knee injury. Atletico Madrid are in good shape, too, but are missing Pablo Barrios due to suspension and Samuel Lino due to a knock.
Valencia: Mamardashvili – Foulquier, Tarrega, Mosquera, Gaya – Lopez, Barrenechea, Guerra, Pepelu, Almeida – Duro
Atletico Madrid: Oblak – Llorente, Gimenez, Le Normand, Galan – Simeone, Koke, De Paul, Gallagher – Griezmann, Alvarez
Anything else catch the eye?
The last five winners of this contest have all won without conceding a goal which tells us that matches between these clubs are frequently one-sided affairs. Atletico Madrid to win to nil on Saturday has been priced at 19/10 by BoyleSports.
This La Liga match between Valencia and Atletico Madrid will be played on Feb 22, 2025 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Valencia vs Atletico Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
