Atletico Madrid are set to play Valencia at the Cívitas Metropolitano on Saturday in La Liga.
Atletico Madrid come into this game on the back of a 1-0 win over Michel's Girona in the league. A late second-half goal from striker Alvaro Morata sealed the deal for Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid.
Valencia, on the other hand, beat Jagoba Arrasate's Osasuna 1-0 in the league. A second-half goal from Dutch forward Justin Kluivert secured the win for Ruben Baraja's Valencia.
Atletico Madrid vs Valencia Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- In 35 head-to-head encounters between the two sides, Atletico Madrid have won 17 games, lost five and drawn 13.
- In 16 league starts this season, striker Alvaro Morata has 11 goal contributions for Atletico Madrid.
- French forward Antoine Griezmann has 16 goal contributions in 18 league starts for Atletico Madrid this season.
- Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani has six goal contributions in 14 league starts for Valencia so far.
- Portuguese midfielder Andre Almeida has five goal contributions in 18 league starts for Valencia this season.
Atletico Madrid vs Valencia Prediction
Atletico Madrid are currently third in the league, eight points behind second-placed Real Madrid. They have won four of their last five league games. France international Antoine Griezmann, who did not enjoy the best of spells with Barcelona and subsequently returned to Atletico Madrid, is enjoying a career renaissance. The 31-year-old was one of the best players at the World Cup in Qatar, and has arguably been Atletico Madrid's best player this season.
In an ideal world, any club in the world would rather have the talents of Joao Felix than Memphis Depay; this is not a slight on Depay's overall quality, but a nod towards Felix's age. However, Atletico Madrid decided to let Felix go to Chelsea on loan; Memphis has already scored three goals for Atletico Madrid since joining from Barcelona.
Valencia, on the other hand, seem to be a perennial controversial club in Spain. They are 17th in the league, and it would be fair to say that owner Peter Lim does not enjoy popularity among the club's faithful. Edinson Cavani's quality cannot be doubted; but his injury record was a problematic aspect even during his time at Manchester United, and it makes little sense to rely on a 36-year-old to stay fit and score goals for the entirety of a season.
We expect Atletico Madrid to win here.
Prediction: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Valencia
Atletico Madrid vs Valencia Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Atletico Madrid
Tip 2: Game to have over / under 2.5 goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Atletico Madrid to keep a clean sheet - Yes