Atletico Madrid will be bidding to bounce back from their Copa del Rey disappointment when they welcome Real Betis to Wanda Metropolitano in La Liga on Sunday afternoon.
Diego Simeone's side are currently fourth in the La Liga table, 10 points ahead of sixth-placed Real Betis, with both teams battling to secure European action for the 2024-25 campaign.
Match preview
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Atletico were comfortably beaten in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, losing 4-0 on aggregate to Athletic Bilbao, including a 3-0 defeat at San Mames on Thursday evening, which made it four losses from their last six matches in all competitions during a tough period for the club.
Simeone's side also trail Inter Milan 1-0 ahead of the second leg of their last-16 Champions League contest, while they are facing a battle to finish in the top four in La Liga this season.
The Red and Whites have only won one of their last four league games, which was a 5-0 success over Las Palmas in their last home fixture, but they were held to a 2-2 draw by basement side Almeria last time out.
Atletico are fourth in the La Liga table, some 13 points behind leaders Real Madrid and just three ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, who will welcome Barcelona to San Mames on Sunday night.
The capital outfit have the best home record in Spain's top flight this season, picking up 37 points from their 13 matches, boasting a record of 12 wins and one draw, and they beat Real Betis 1-0 in the corresponding clash between the two sides last season.
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Real Betis held Atletico to a goalless draw when the two sides met in Seville earlier this season, but they have not managed to overcome the Red and Whites in La Liga since February 2019.
Manuel Pellegrini's side suffered disappointment in the Europa Conference League towards the end of February, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Dinamo Zagreb in their knockout-round playoff affair, but they bounced back impressively in the league last time out, recording a 3-1 victory over Athletic.
The Green and Whites, who finished sixth in La Liga last season, are currently sixth in the table, two points ahead of seventh-placed Real Sociedad and seven behind Athletic in fifth.
Real Betis have only lost four of their 26 league matches this season, but too many draws (12) have prevented them from sitting even higher up the table at this stage of the campaign.
Pellegrini's team are unbeaten in their last five league matches, recording three wins in the process, while they have picked up 15 points from their 12 away games during the 2023-24 campaign.
Team News
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Atletico remain without the services of influential forward Antoine Griezmann due to an ankle problem, while Jose Gimenez, Cesar Azpilicueta and Thomas Lemar are also on the sidelines through injury.
The Red and Whites have not reported any issues from their clash with Athletic, but it seems likely that head coach Simeone will make changes for this match, with Memphis Depay in line for a spot in the final third.
Pablo Barrios could also come into the midfield, while Rodrigo Riquelme may also be introduced, with Simeone expected to shuffle his pack due to the relatively quick turnaround.
As for Real Betis, a lengthy injury list includes Nabil Fekir, Sergi Altimira, Marc Roca, Aitor Ruibal, Juan Miranda, Cedric Bakambu, Abner Vinicius, Isco, Guido Rodriguez and Marc Bartra.
However, there is a chance that Ayoze Perez could be back in the squad, with the attacker making strong progress in his recovery from an ankle injury which has kept him out since the middle of January.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos is also available again following a suspension, while William Carvalho, Rodri and Hector Bellerin are expected to come into the side this weekend.
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Molina, Savic, Witsel, Hermoso, Riquelme; Barrios, Koke, Llorente; Memphis, Morata
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Silva; Bellerin, Pezzella, Riad, Sabaly; Cardoso, Carvalho; Fornals, Rodri, Avila; Willian Jose
We say: Atletico Madrid 2-1 Real Betis
Atletico's recent form is worrying, and their top-four position in the table is under threat from Athletic, demonstrating the importance of picking up a positive result here. Real Betis are capable of making it a tough afternoon for Atletico, but the visitors will be missing so many important players through injury, and we are therefore backing the hosts to edge out a much-needed three points.
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