Atletico Madrid - Valencia predictions and free betting tips [28/01/2024]

On the 28th of January, Sunday, within the framework of the 22nd round of Spanish La Liga, Atletico Madrid welcomes Valencia on their home turf. With a tally of 41 points, the 'Los Colchoneros’ hold the fourth spot in the league table, whilst ‘The Bats’ stand at eighth position lagging behind the European zone by 4 points.

Predicted line-ups

Atletico: Oblak; Witsel, Gimenez, Hermoso; Molina, Llorente, Koke, De Paul, Lino; Morata, Griezmann.
Valencia: Mamardashvili; Foulquier, Mosquera, Paulista, Gaya; F Perez, Guillamon, Pepelu, Guerra; Duro, D Lopez.

Stadium

The match will be held in Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Atletico Madrid

Atletico managed to inflict two solitary defeats on Real Madrid at their home ground in this season's competitions - in La Liga (3:1) and Copa del Rey (4:2 after extra time). Despite this, Los Blancos lead their city rivals by 13 points in the La Liga table. Earlier this week, Los Colchoneros secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, beating Sevilla with a 1:0 victory – the match's only goal was netted in the 79th minute by Memphis Depay. Earlier, in the previous round, Cholo Simeone's charges had a hard-earned victory against Granada thanks to a goal by Alvaro Morata.

This puts Atletico equal in points with fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, holding 41 in total. It's important to highlight that the hosts are in solid form at home, winning nine and drawing one out of their 10 matches here. Furthermore, the Rojiblancos have progressed to the Champions League playoffs and will travel to Inter Milan for the first leg of the tournament's round of 16 on the 20th of February. 

Valencia

Last season, Valencia was on the brink of relegation but managed to retain their elite division status: finishing 16th was their worst result since 1986. Having reshaped their squad on the transfer market last summer, Los Che opted for a young squad bolstered by a few experienced players, and it seems to have paid off. Valencia currently sits eighth in La Liga's table trailing the top six by just 4 points.

The Mestalla side has been showing great results, clinching four victories in their last four rounds. The most recent win came last weekend against Athletic Bilbao (1:0), who had remained unbeaten in all competitions since the 22nd of October. 

Head to Head

Valencia beat Atletico 3:0 in the first leg, was beaten by the same margin at the Wanda Metropolitano last season – and hasn't prevailed in Madrid over Los Colchoneros since 2011.

Prediction for the match Atletico VS Valencia

Given the tight competition at the top of the table, dropping points is not an option for either side. Atletico has as many points as fifth-place Athletic Bilbao, while a victory for Valencia could close their gap to the European zone to just 1 point. However, Los Che have been struggling in Madrid in recent years and have significant losses due to the Africa Cup of Nations. My prediction – a victory for Los Rojiblancos.

Prediction on Total Goals

In the three previous meetings, at least one of the teams didn't score. Considering Atletico's solid performance under the support of their loyal fans, I bet on 'Both teams to score: No'.

Prediction on Corners

The hosts are averaging only 4.5 corners per match in this campaign and are unlikely to significantly surpass this number against a Valencia side defending deep. I'm betting on the Individual Total Corners for Atletico being fewer than 5.5.

Prediction on Yellow Cards

In the first leg, the teams received six yellow cards in total - it's likely the referee will give at least five cautions this time around.

Prediction on the Score

I'm predicting a precise scoreline of 2:0 in favour of Atletico Madrid.