Valencia vs Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid will aim to solidify their hold on a Top 4 spot when they visit Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday evening for their next La Liga match. At the time of writing, Los Rojiblancos remain in fourth place with 60 points, 10 points above fifth-seeded Real Betis.
Diego Simeone’s men recently ended their four-game losing streak (in all competitions) with a 3-2 win against Athletic Bilbao last weekend and a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie yesterday, giving them confidence ahead of this Saturday.
Valencia are eight notches below Atletico Madrid in the Spanish top-flight standings with 39 points. Carlos Corberan’s side is level with Rayo Vallecano and Espanyol, and is only five points adrift of sixth place. Like Los Rojiblancos, Los Che are unbeaten in their last two: a 1-1 draw against Mallorca and a 2-1 win over Girona.
Talking Points
Sadiq provides attacking spark for Valencia
Valencia have kept their faint European football hopes alive, thanks to Umar Sadiq’s upturn in form. With three goals, two assists, and two penalties since their contest against Levante last February, Sadiq’s contributions have been worth seven points for Valencia.
Last season, he arrived on loan and logged five goals in 16 La Liga matches before returning to Real Sociedad, where he spent the first half of this campaign. Sadiq returned as a winter addition for Valencia via a permanent deal, and the 29-year-old striker picked up where he left off.
Sadiq scored the winning goal during their 2-1 win over Girona last time out, and he’s expected to lead up front alongside Hugo Duro or Lucas Beltran in Carlos Corberan’s 4-4-2 setup. Largie Ramazani, who also scored for Valencia against Girona, will join Luis Rioja on the wings, while Guido Rodriguez and Javi Guerra will man the middle of the park.
Duro actually leads Los Che in scoring with nine goals, while Ramazani is second with six. Arnaut Danjuma, who didn’t play against Girona, is the joint-third-leading scorer with Diego Lopez, with three goals. Rioja and Guerra are their top playmakers with five assists apiece.
Fitness concerns for Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid fans are concerned about the team’s attacking corps, following their 1-1 draw against Arsenal yesterday. Julian Alvarez, who scored the penalty equaliser near the hour mark, limped off late. Giuliano Simeone also left the pitch earlier than expected after sustaining a knock, while Alexander Sorloth didn’t even play after feeling discomfort during warm-ups.
Head coach Diego Simeone allayed the fans’ fears by saying that he expects the trio to be available for selection. But he may not field all of them against Valencia to give them rest ahead of the second leg against Arsenal. If Simeone rotates his squad this Saturday, Alex Baena and Thiago Almada are expected to have more usage.
History
Atletico Madrid are out to complete a second straight La Liga double over Valencia this weekend. Los Rojiblancos won 2-1 in the reverse fixture last December, as Koke and Antoine Griezmann were on the scoresheet for them while Lucas Beltran prevented a shutout loss for Los Che. At the time, Griezmann scored his fifth league goal off the bench, making him the highest-scoring sub in the Top 5 European leagues.
Valencia are winless in their last four league matches against Atletico Madrid. Los Che’s previous win against Los Rojiblancos was a 3-0 rout in March 2023 at the Mestalla. At the time, they logged their first win over Atletico Madrid since 2014.
In terms of recent La Liga form, Valencia have the edge with two wins, one draw, and two losses in their last five, while Atletico Madrid have only one win and four losses.
Betting Tip
The La Liga 2026 odds surprisingly back Valencia to take three points against Atletico Madrid this Saturday night. Los Che are 1.80 favourites to win, whereas Los Rojiblancos are 3.94 underdogs, and a draw is at 3.40 in the 1X2 market.
Perhaps fatigue will play a huge role in this contest, given the short turnaround between games for Los Rojiblancos. However, given their revamped approach this term, Atletico Madrid should be able to score goals and create new La Liga 2026 highlights this weekend, which is why we recommend this bet.
SBOTOP punters may also add Over 2.25 at 1.64, Over 2.50 at 1.86, and Over 2.75 at 2.11 to the parlay. Meanwhile, the Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of Atletico Madrid – the result of their reverse fixture – offers a staggering payday of 14.50.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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