Atletico Madrid will be aiming to bounce back from a shock home defeat in the Champions League when they resume their La Liga campaign with a clash against Real Betis on Sunday night.
Diego Simeone's side are third in the La Liga table, seven points behind the leaders Barcelona, while Real Betis sit seventh, boasting 15 points from their opening 10 matches of the 2024-25 campaign.
Match preview
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Real Betis will also enter this match off the back of a European fixture, drawing 1-1 with Copenhagen in the Conference League on Thursday night, with the result leaving them down in 27th spot in the league phase.
Manuel Pellegrini's side were winners last time out in La Liga, though, beating Osasuna 2-1 to move onto 15 points, boasting a record of four wins, three draws and three defeats from 10 games this season to sit seventh in the table.
The Seville outfit are only three points off the top four at this stage of proceedings, while they have been relatively solid defensively this season, only conceding nine times in their 10 matches, but the Green and Whites will be facing the best defence in La Liga this weekend, with Atletico conceding only six times in 2024-25.
Real Betis have been strong at home this season, winning three and losing just one of their five matches, and they will be eyeing another victory here ahead of their 2024-25 Copa del Rey opener against Gevora.
The Green and Whites have not beaten Atletico in La Liga since February 2019, but the corresponding clash between the two sides during the 2023-24 campaign ended in a goalless draw.
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Atletico were stunned in the Champions League on Wednesday night, losing 3-1 to Lille at Wanda Metropolitano, with the French outfit netting three times in the second half after Julian Alvarez had made the breakthrough.
Simeone's team were also beaten 4-0 by Benfica in the Champions League at the start of October, and they currently sit down in 27th spot in the table, picking up just three points from their first three games.
The Red and Whites are unbeaten in La Liga this season, though, winning five and drawing five of their 10 matches to collect 20 points, which has left them third in the table, seven points off the leaders Barcelona.
Atletico were 3-1 winners over Leganes in the league last weekend, but they have been held in three of their five away La Liga games this term, dropping points against Villarreal, Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad.
Simeone will be expecting a response from his players on Sunday following the European disappointment, and the capital outfit have been victorious in five of their last six La Liga games against Real Betis.
Team News
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Real Betis will be without the services of four players through injury on Sunday, with Giovani Lo Celso, Marc Roca, William Carvalho and Isco unavailable for selection.
Central defender Natan is also out of the match through suspension due to the red card that he picked up in the latter stages of the contest with Osasuna last weekend.
Lo Celso's absence is a big one considering that he has scored five of his side's 10 league goals this season, and Pellegrini is again expected to go with a front two this weekend, with Vitor Roque likely to feature alongside Cedric Bakambu.
As for Atletico, Clement Lenglet, Pablo Barrios, Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand and Cesar Azpilicueta will miss out this weekend.
Head coach Simeone is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack following the Lille defeat, but there could potentially be a recall at left-back for Samuel Lino.
Antoine Griezmann, Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth should again feature in the final third of the field, and Simeone will be hoping that the trio will start to click in the coming weeks.
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Bellerin, Bartra, Llorente, Perraud; Ezzalzouli, Cardoso, Altimira, Fornals; Roque, Bakambu
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Molina, Witsel, Gimenez, Lino; Koke, De Paul, Gallagher; Griezmann; Alvarez, Sorloth
We say: Real Betis 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Atletico will have had an extra day of recovery for this match, which could prove to be crucial, especially in the second half. It would not be a surprise to see a draw on Sunday night, but we just have a feeling that Atletico will be able to navigate their way to an important three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
