Following a positive start to 2022, Atletico Madrid have hit a cold stretch again and will try to avoid a third consecutive defeat on Saturday against Valencia.
Atletico are the favorites for the match and they are also expected to win the first half. Bookmaker 10bet has the odds at 2.00 for the home side to lead at halftime. The odds are at 6.00 for Valencia to win the first half and at 2.15 for a halftime draw.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 21st, 12:00 P.M. (EST)
Atletico had a miserable run to finish off 2021 and even took four consecutive league losses for the first time under Diego Simeone, but they seemed to have turned the page in the new year with some nice scoring performances. However, things have turned sour again with losses in the Spanish Super Cup and in the Copa del Rey.
Los Colchoneros are well off the pace in the league and the Champions League is now their only realistic hope of silverware this season. Things were supposed to work out completely different after Antoine Griezmann came back to the team and the club invested over 71 million euros on new players in the summer.
Griezmann is currently injured and his presence has been sorely missed with other forwards having lacked form all season long. Even Luis Suarez has seen the goals dry up and he’s gone seven league games without a goal, which is his worst run in Spanish football.
Suarez’s last La Liga goal came in November in a very entertaining 3-3 draw against Valencia. Atleti ended up blowing a 3-1 lead in injury time with Hugo Duro netting a brace.
Atletico were left disappointed in the end at Mestalla Stadium, but they still own a very strong head-to-head record in the match-up. Valencia last managed to notch a victory against Atletico in 2014 and the side from Madrid has gone 14 games without a defeat, winning eight of the matches. They haven’t lost a home outing to Valencia since 2011.
Similarly to Atletico, the wheels have also suddenly come off Valencia. They have picked up just one point in three league outings after putting together a strong seven-game unbeaten run. The team has battled COVID-19 and there have also been a few key injuries.
In recent outings, Jose Bordalas hasn’t been able to rely on the creativity of Carlos Soler, but he returned to training this week and should be back in the squad on Saturday. The Valencia No. 10 has recorded seven goals and two assists in 15 league games this season, and he could be a real headache for an Atletico defense that has been lackluster this term.
