Valencia will look to return to winning ways when they host Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid after back-to-back defeats in the league.
La Liga is all set to resume after the international break, and Valencia will square up against Atletico Madrid. The home team started off the new season in fine fashion with two wins in a row but post that, they have been struggling. Meanwhile, the visitors have hardly put a foot wrong in the new campaign.
Valencia started off the new season with a 2-1 win over Sevilla and followed it up with a 1-0 win over Las Palmas. They might not have lit up the world, but they were getting the job done. However, things went downhill from there as they lost back-to-back games in the league.
They are currently 11th on the points table with six points in four outings and will look to improve their standing with a win over Atletico Madrid. But, it won’t be easy as the opponents are in fine form.
Diego Simeone’s men are unbeaten in their three league games. They started off with an easy 3-1 win over Granada but played out a disappointing 0-0 draw against Real Betis. Before heading into the international break, Simeone’s team showcased an exceptional performance where they scored seven goals against Rayo Vallecano.
Atletico Madrid are currently fourth in the league with seven points in his three outings. The Madrid-based club have the most lethal attack in the league at this point in time and they have only conceded a goal so far. They will be high on confidence heading into this away fixture and will look to come out with all three points.
While recent form suggests that the Colchoneros have the upper hand, the match is expected to be a closely fought encounter. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics the teams could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Valencia
Ruben Baraja will be without the services of Gabriel Paulista, and Alberto Mari, who are all out injured. Apart from the trio, everyone else is fit and ready for this fixture.
#TBT I⚡️🔙 Pablo Hernández 🎩🪄#ValenciaAtleti 🦇🏧🔜 pic.twitter.com/y8DjhmCob3
— Valencia CF (@valenciacf_en) September 14, 2023
The Valencia boss might not make many changes to the XI that started in their narrow defeat at the hands of Alaves. They are expected to stick to a 4-4-2 formation, where Giorgi Mamardashvili will be in goal.
Dimitri Foulquier and Jose Gaya will start out wide as the full-backs. While the duo would love to join the attack, they will most likely have a lot of defensive duties against Simeone’s men. In the heart of the defence, Mouctar Diakhaby will pair up with Cenk Ozkacar. They will look to avoid any unnecessary mistakes and put up a better performance than they did last time out.
Thierry Correia and Sergi Canos will be the wide midfielders. Meanwhile, Javi Guerra and Pepelu will start in more central roles. The duo will look to control the tempo of this game and have more ball possession. But, it won’t be easy given the strengths of the opposition. In attack, Andre Almeida could start alongside Hugo Duro in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Mamardashvili; Foulquier, Diakhaby, Ozkacar, Gaya; Correia, Guerra, Pepelu, Canos; Almeida, Duro
Atletico Madrid
As far as the visitors are concerned, they have quite a few injuries to deal with. Vitolo, Samuel Lino, Memphis Depay, Koke, Jose Gimenez and Reinildo are all out injured. Yannick Carrasco has parted ways with the club since the team’s last match. Despite the injuries and Carrasco’s departure, Atletico Madrid still have enough quality in their ranks to get the right result.
📡🎥 #𝗔𝗧𝗠𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛
🎙🗞 ¡@Simeone comparece ante los medios de comunicación en la sala de prensa de Majadahonda! https://t.co/RpQZc9Gmav
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) September 15, 2023
Diego Simeone is expected to go ahead with the 3-5-2 formation, where Jan Oblak will be in goal. Stefan Savic, Axel Witsel and Mario Hermoso will form the back three in front of the goalkeeper. The trio have been doing a great job so far and they will look to continue in a similar fashion.
Nahuel Molina and Saul Niguez should be the wing-backs for this fixture. The duo will look to support the back three in times of need and move further up the pitch to stretch the opposition’s defence.
Marcos Llorente, Rodrigo De Paul and Pablo Barrios will be three central midfielders for this fixture. The trio will look to dictate the pace of this game and make sure they have the majority of the ball possession. Up top Alvaro Morata will pair up with Antoine Griezmann.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Oblak; Savic, Witsel, Hermoso; Molina, De Paul, Barrios, Llorente, Niguez; Griezmann, Morata
Key Stats
- Valencia and Atletico Madrid have squared up against each other on 184 occasions since 1935. The Madrid-based club have won 73 times while the home team have 62 wins to their name.
- Atletico Madrid have won their last three matches against Valencia. They have scored seven goals in those encounters and have only conceded twice.
- Diego Simeone’s team have the best attack and defence in the league so far with 10 goals scored and just one conceded.
- Valencia last won against Atletico Madrid back in 2014. The Madrid-based club are on a 17-match unbeaten run against the hosts.
- Real Madrid have lost one out of their last 11 league game but they have only won one out of their last five away games in the league.
Player to Watch
Antoine Griezmann
Atletico Madrid scored seven goals against Rayo Vallecano in their last league outing before the international. It all started with an early goal for Griezmann and post that Simeone’s men were on a roll. The French international was one of their best players last season. He was a constant threat for the opposition defenders as he racked up 35 goal contributions in all competitions.
While he has been key to their impressive performances so far this season, the 32-year-old only has one goal to his name. And, he will be eager to add to it when he takes the field against Valencia.
Prediction
Valencia 0-2 Atletico Madrid
The recent form of the two teams suggests that this could end up being an easy win for the visitors. Valencia have lost their last two outings, they have heading into this fixture on the back of a defeat, while Atletico Madrid won their last outing 7-0.
Diego Simeone’s team will be high on confidence and they seem to have enough enough quality players to get the job done in this away fixture. While Valencia also has a quality squad, their struggle might continue. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the away team.
