Atletico Madrid vs Valencia predictions and match preview for Saturday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as Los Che travel to the Metropolitano.
| Date | Saturday 18th March 2023 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (CET) |
| Stadium | Metropolitano |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Atletico Madrid vs Valencia Preview
Atletico Madrid and Valencia clash at the Estadio Metropolitano this weekend. These are two of Spain’s biggest clubs but it’s doubtful whether this will even be a top flight fixture next season with Los Che battling against relegation.
Things are at least looking a bit brighter from an Atletico Madrid perspective. Excluding meetings with Real Madrid and Barcelona, it’s been over four months since they lost a competitive match. They’ve won 6 of their last 8 in LaLiga with a thumping 6-1 victory over Sevilla in their most recent home game. That certainly bodes well for their prospects of Champions League qualification and in truth it’s hard to see Atleti finishing anywhere other than 3rd place now.
Soon thoughts will turn to next season. A couple of months back, the assumption seemed to be that this might well prove to be Diego Simeone’s final campaign. However with his side looking more convincing again, the temptation to stick with a man who has done so much for this club is stronger and the latest noises out of the Metropolitano suggest the Argentine will stay on a reduced salary until the end of the 2023/24 season.
Over in Valencia, they don’t even know what division they’ll be in next term but their prospects of survival look slightly increased since the appointment of Ruben Baraja. While his managerial CV is far from impressive, he has managed to galvanise the supporters to some degree and that has contributed to Valencia winning both home games they have played under his guidance so far.
Baraja hasn’t been afraid to make surprise selection decisions either and his faith in Justin Kluivert was rewarded last weekend with the Dutch winger netting the only goal in a 1-0 win over Osasuna. Indeed all four of Valencia’s matches so far have ended 1-0 since the appointment of Baraja with their two away games ending in defeats.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Atletico Madrid
| INJURED | Reinildo, Reguilon |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Oblak – Hermoso, Gimenez, Savic – Carrasco, Koke, De Paul, Llorente, Molina – Memphis, Griezmann (3-5-2)
Coach: Diego Simeone
Valencia
| INJURED | Domenech, Lato, Andre, Gabriel Paulista |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Mamardashvili – Gaya, Diakhaby, Ozkacar, Correia – Almeida, Guillamon, Musah – Kluivert, Duro, Castillejo (4-3-3)
Coach: Ruben Baraja
Score Prediction: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Valencia
Valencia have shown something of a new found resilience under Baraja and they should at least be able to restrict Los Rojiblancos to relatively few chances here. However, the hosts are in form and Antoine Griezmann is producing the kind of football that could settle a tight game.
PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
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