Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid will look to keep their unbeaten record intact when they hit the road to square up against Real Betis.
Both Atletico Madrid and Real Betis returned to winning ways in their last league outing and they will look to build on it when they face each other at the Estadio Benito Villamarín on Sunday night.
Real Betis have accumulated 15 points in their 10 outings with four wins, three draws and as many defeats. They haven’t been consistent enough but having won two out of their last three, the home team will be looking to build momentum with another win.
They did win their last league game, but they are heading into it on the back of a disappointing draw against F.C. Copenhagen. While they dominated the proceedings, Betis failed to win. They will have to be much more clinical in the final third against Atletico.
While Simeone will be happy with the fact that they have been unbeaten in the league, he might not be pleased to see his team play out five draws out of their ten outings. Atletico are third in the league and they won their last league game against Leganes but they are heading into this one on the back of a defeat.
They suffered a shocking 3-1 defeat at the hands of LOSC Lille at home. While they dominated the ball and had more chances, they were not clinical enough and paid the price. Simeone’s men will be looking to bounce back against Betis. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Real Betis
The home team will be without the services of Giovani Lo Celso, Marc Roca, William Carvalho and Isco for this fixture. Meanwhile, Natan is suspended for this outing.
Betis will line up in a 4-4-2 formation where Rui Silva will be in goal. Hector Bellerin and Romain Perraud will be the full-backs for them. Marc Bartra and Diego Llorente will take charge at the heart of the defence.
Abde Ezzalzouli will feature on the right flank while Pablo Fornals will take charge on the left. Johnny Cardoso and Sergi Altimira will try and control the tempo of the game. In attack, Vitor Roque will pair up with Cédric Bakambu.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Silva; Bellerin, Bartra, Llorente, Perraud; Ezzalzouli, Cardoso, Altimira, Fornals; Roque, Bakambu
Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone will have to be without the services of Clement Lenglet, Pablo Barrios, Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand and Cesar Azpilicueta.
While the defeat at the hands of LOSC Lille will surely tempt Simeone to make a few changes, he will resist the temptation.
The visitors will stick to the 4-3-1-2 formation where Jan Oblak will be in goal. Nahuel Molina and Samuel Lino should be the full-backs while Axel Witsel and Jose Maria Gimenez will take charge as the central defenders.
Rodrigo De Paul will be the defensive midfielder while Koke and Conor Gallagher will look to support him. They will look to dominate the ball and ensure they dictate the pace of the game.
Antoine Griezmann will take up the role of an attacking midfielder just in behind the two forwards Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez.
Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Oblak; Molina, Witsel, Gimenez, Lino; Koke, De Paul, Gallagher; Griezmann; Alvarez, Sorloth
Key Stats
- Atletico Madrid have been unbeaten in La Liga this season (5 wins, 5 draws).
- Diego Simeone’s men have only won one out of their last five matches across competitions.
- Real Betis have lost five out of their last six games against Real Betis.
- Atletico have played out of a draw in three out of their five away matches in the league.
- Betis last defeated Atletico in La Liga back in February 2019.
Player to Watch
Julian Alvarez
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Alvarez hasn’t had the best of starts to life at Atletico as he only has four goals and an assist in his 13 outings. But, things are starting to fall in place for the Argentine World Cup winner and the 24-year-old could end up having a big say on the result of this away fixture against Betis.
Prediction
Real Betis 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Real Betis have struggled to get the desired result against Atletico. They last won a league game back in 2019 and things are unlikely to be easy this time around as well. While Simeone’s team did lose to LOSC Lille in their last outing, they have been unbeaten in the league and will most likely manage to maintain that record. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought win for the away team.