The biggest game in La Liga this Monday is the one taking place at Estadio de Mestalla where Valencia welcome Atletico Madrid. Both sides have big ambitions for this season, so there’s no way this game won’t be exciting. But, who will win it? Find out in this Valencia vs Atletico Madrid match preview!
Valencia
Last season, Valencia finished on the 4th place in Spanish La Liga, meaning that they’re now competing in the Champions League. In order to do well in such a tough competition, they needed to strengthen their squad. Therefore, they brought a number of talented players this summer. Of course, these players will definitely help them do well in La Liga, so who knows, maybe Valencia will be able even to finish the 2018/2019 season even higher than the last season.
For the players they brought this summer, Valencia had to cash out more than 76 million Euro. They bought a number of quality players, including Geoffrey Kondogbia, Kevin Gameiro, Mouctar Diakhaby, Cristiano Piccini, Daniel Wass, Nani, and so on. They also loaned a couple of talented players, most notably Michy Batshuayi and Denis Cheryshev.
It seems that the signings they made a big impact on the whole team right away. We saw Valencia playing very well in the friendlies, beating some heavyweight teams along the way. But, their biggest challenge so far comes this Monday, when they’re playing against one of the biggest title favorites, Atletico Madrid.
Atletico Madrid
This team has managed to beat Real Madrid on Wednesday in the UEFA Super Cup final. After 120 minutes, the score was 4:2 Atletico, showing that this team has the quality to challenge the title. Furthermore, their manager Diego Simeone was suspended in that game and had to watch it from the stands. Now, he’s back and ready to lead his team against Valencia.
According to the bookies, Atleti are favorites here. And there is a reason for that – this team hasn’t been this powerful in a while. In the past, Atletico were lacking squad depth, but now, they have a number of top-class players in every part of the pitch.
In the win over their city rivals last Wednesday, we saw Thomas Lemar playing his first official game in Atletico jersey. It would be an understatement to say he was impressive. He played in the center of the pitch initially, but we could see him everywhere. Although Lemar did very well in that game, the man who really stood up with his performance was Diego Costa, who netted twice for his team.
Team News
Valencia absentees
- Francis Coquelin (injury)
Atletico Madrid absentees
- Lucas Hernandez (suspension)
Possible Lineups
Valencia
Neto – Gabriel Paulista, Murillo, Piccini, Gaya – Kondogbia, Cheryshev, Dani Parejo – Rodrigo, Zaza, Gameiro
Atletico Madrid
Oblak – Godin, Savic, Juanfran, Filipe Luis – Koke, Partey, Saul, Lemar – Griezmann, Costa
Valencia vs Atletico Madrid Match Prediction
Atletico have some problems with the fitness of their defenders, while one of them is suspended. That said, Valencia will probably look to take advantage of them by letting their pacey forwards annoy Atletico’s defenders. The problem for them is that Atleti are too powerful in attack, so even if Valencia score, they will fight back. But, for punters, this is actually a very good news. Betting on a lot of goals seems like a very wise thing to do if you want easy money.
Valencia vs Atletico Madrid Betting Tips
- BTS @2.00 (Unibet)
- Over 2.5 Goals @2.49 (1XBet)
- Draw @3.20 (bet365)
- Diego Costa to Score Anytime @3.40 (betway)
- Correct Score 2:2 @17.00 (bet365)