Atletico Madrid vs Real Betis Predictions & Match Preview

Atletico Madrid vs Real Betis predictions and match preview for Sunday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for expert analysis, the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as two strong sides clash in Madrid.

Atletico Madrid vs Real Betis Preview

Real Betis travel to the Wanda Metropolitano this weekend to take on Atletico Madrid in Spain’s LaLiga. It promises to be one of the most interesting games on matchday 12 and a really good test of just how much progress an in-form Real Betis side have made.

It’ll also be another real test for an Atletico Madrid defence which continues to look unconvincing. Defensive stability and lots of clean sheets is the very minimum you expect of a Diego Simeone team but they come into this game having conceded twice or more in each of their last three matches. Dropped points in 2-2 draws against Real Sociedad and Levante have undone some of the positive work they did prior to the most recent international break, but fortunately their rivals have also been slipping up.

Atleti are two points worse off than their opponents heading into this game and there is still the feeling that Simeone is someway off from finding out his best XI. The balance clearly isn’t quite right at the back and things aren’t much clearer in the final third with attempts to shoehorn Antoine Griezmann, Joao Felix and Luis Suarez into the same team generating mixed results to date.

Betis look a much more settled outfit by contrast, with players coming in and out of their team without really unsettling the balance of it. They’ve put in some really dominant attacking displays, the latest of which saw them thrash Valencia 4-1 at the Benito Villamarin on Wednesday night. A crowd of well over 40,000 for a midweek match, the highest in LaLiga on matchday 11, is testament to the excitement that is growing in the green and white half of Seville about this team and what it may be able to achieve.

This is though a really big week which will give us a clearer indication of just how strong Betis are. After this trip to the defending champions, they have an away game against Bayer Leverkusen which may decide top spot in their Europa League group. That’s followed by the big Sevilla derby at the Benito Villamarin next Sunday night and what an occasion that promises to be with both sides flying high.

Head to Head

• Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 4 Atleti Wins, 1 Betis Win, 1 Draw.
• Atletico Madrid haven’t conceded in any of their last 5 home games against Betis.
• Betis’ last goal in this fixture came in a 5-1 defeat at the Vicente Calderon in April 2016.
• The most recent meeting was a 1-1 draw in Seville in April.

Team News

Thomas Lemar and Marcos Llorente are out injured for Atleti. Geoffrey Kondogbia is a doubt.

Summer signing Youssouf Sabaly continues to be the only significant injury absentee for Betis.

Predicted Atletico Madrid Starting Lineup:

Oblak – Hermoso, Gimenez, Felipe – Carrasco, Herrera, De Paul, Koke, Trippier – Griezmann, Suarez (3-5-2)

Predicted Real Betis Starting Lineup:

Bravo – Miranda, Ruiz, Pezzella, Bellerin – Carvalho, Rodriguez – Fekir, Canales, Sanchez – Iglesias (4-2-3-1)

Atletico Madrid vs Real Betis Predictions

Score Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2-1 Real Betis

This should be a really good game and Betis are in the kind of form which suggests they can compete with the best teams in Spain. You do wonder if they are perhaps lacking a slightly more cautious plan B which may be of use in these kinds of games though. Their more open approach may give Atletico Madrid more space to play in than in most of their home games and the hosts may just nick it.

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