The La Liga weekend finishes with an intriguing encounter as Real Betis hosts Atletico Madrid, hoping to end an eight-game run without a win in the head-to-head meetings.
Bookmaker William Hill sees Atletico as the likeliest side to open the scoring at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, offering odds at 1.70. The odds are at 2.40 for Betis to grab the first goal and at 8.50 for a goalless affair.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: August 19th, 5:30 P.M. (EST)
Betis last beat Atletico in 2019 via a Sergio Canales penalty, and incredibly, the win marks the team’s lone victory in the match-up across the last 23 meetings. Betis hasn’t even scored a goal in 13 of the clashes. Last season, Manuel Pellegrini’s men suffered a 2-1 defeat at home and went down 1-0 in Madrid.
Both sides enjoyed winning starts to the 2023-24 campaign, with Betis earning a sweet 2-1 away victory over Villarreal with a stoppage-time winner and Atletico taking care of business versus Granada with a 3-1 home win. Los Colchoneros will now be desperate to enjoy some away success after winning only one of their last five road outings in the previous campaign.
Besides the poor away run, Diego Simeone’s side had a very strong finish to 2022-23, and the team looks ready to challenge for the league title again. In fact, based on results achieved in 2023, Atleti leads the pack in La Liga with 53 points, sitting two points ahead of Barcelona. The team has also scored the most goals in Spain in 2023, netting 50 times.
Atletico’s attack has been sparked by Antoine Griezmann’s return to form. The French star saw his career stagnate when he moved to Barcelona, but a return to Madrid has given him a huge lift. Griezmann was La Liga’s lone player with double-digit goals and assists last term, finding the back of the net 15 times and setting up 17 goals. Atletico will definitely battle right until the end if Griezmann maintains his performance levels.
Betis will hope to qualify for the Champions League this season. A late collapse last season saw the team miss out on Europe’s premier competition, but they are well-equipped to make another run for a top-four position. The team has constantly improved under Pellegrini, and a rare victory over Atletico would be another sign of progress under the former Manchester City boss.
