Atletico Madrid travel to Valencia to take on struggling La Liga outfits at Mestalla
Valencia, coming in at two wins and four losses, will need a miracle to get a point from Atletico Madrid even at home.
Los Che have looked better since sacking Pako Ayesteran and putting caretaker Voro Gonzalez Marco in charge but not by much. They fortunately scraped through two recently promoted sides in their last two games and their performance was nothing to write home about.
On the other hand, Rojiblancos were looking their best on Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Bayern. They put in a complete team performance and will come into this match undefeated in all competitions so far.
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In last season’s meetings, chaotic Valencia lost both games against Atletico, losing 2-1 away first before falling 3-1 at home. It’s looking like a similar result will repeat again come this Sunday.
However, Atletico will be missing some key players coming into this game. Center back Jose Maria Gimenez and defensive midfielder Augusto Fernandez both suffered injuries in a 1-0 win against Deportivo La Coruna on last Sunday. Gimenez will be out for three weeks while Augusto tore his ACL meaning he will be gone for around seven months.
Big blows for the away side don’t end there, another center back Diego Godin sprained his ligaments against Bayern and will most likely be out for this game as well. Meanwhile Valencia’s Ezequiel Garay still hasn’t recovered from his injury issues but the rest of the team looks healthy and motivated as they will look to fight for their place in front of the new coach Cesare Prandelli, who will be watching the match from the stands.
These match ups have always been feisty, with five players having been sent off in last six meetings. Even with three key players out, Atletico still look very strong and having Tiago Mendes back from injury might make up for the loss of Augusto. Valencia still have huge issues in the back and it will be hard to stop Atletico who work great as a unit.
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Once the away side scores, it will be very hard for Valencia to equalize. Munir and Nani are still adjusting to their new teammates while Santi Mina and Rodrigo are too hot and cold. This is a wrong time for Los Che to be playing against confident Rojiblancos and the away side should win by a 2-0 scoreline, although it might not be too comfortable.
Projected Line ups
Valencia (4-3-3) – Diego Alves; Gaya, A. Santos, Mangala, Montoya; Parejo, Enzo Perez, Cancelo; Nani, Munir, Rodrigo.
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2) – Oblak; Filipe Luis, Lucas Hernandez, Savic, Juanfran; Carrasco, Koke, Gabi, Saul; Griezmann, Gameiro.