Espanyol host Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Friday evening, with both sides requiring three points for differing reasons. The home side are on a run of three matches without a win, while their opponents can close the gap on league leaders Barcelona to just three points with victory on the road.
Spanish La Liga – RCDE Stadium, Barcelona – Friday 22nd December – 20:30 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 11/5 at William Hill |
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Espanyol
Atletico MadridEspanyol vs Atletico Madrid – Match Preview
La Liga strugglers Espanyol face off against Atletico Madrid in duo’s final game before the winter break, with both clubs looking to end the year in style. Despite the two teams position in the standings in Spain, a close encounter is expected at the RCDE Stadium, with Atletico having not lost a single league fixture all season. The visitors are the form team in La Liga, however manager Diego Simeone will be more than aware of the threat posed by Espanyol in front of their home fans. For those still unsure of who to back on Friday, be sure to check out our top betting tip below. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with the home side.
Espanyol Team News & Form
Former Watford boss Quique Sánchez Flores is looking to end a run of three matches without a win in the Spanish top-flight, with Espanyol sitting just five points clear of the relegation zone in the standings at present. The home side have won of the worst goalscoring records in Spain having scored just 13 goals from their 16 matches, with the pressure on the likes of Alvaro Vazquez and Leo Baptistao to start delivering in front of goal. Espanyol have won just four times this season, however they did record a battling 2-2 draw away at Las Palmas last time around.
Atletico Madrid Team News & Form
Atletico come into this clash off the back of a narrow 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna, their fourth consecutive win in La Liga. Despite the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Angel Correa having found it difficult going in front of goal so far this season, Madrid have found a way to thrash out results. Spanish quartet Koke, Saul Niguez, Fernando Torres and Gabi could well feature for the visitors, while Diego Costa is still ineligible following his move from Chelsea.
Head to Head
The two teams have met 31 times in the past, with Atletico Madrid having won 14 of such meetings, as well as registering eight draws. Simeone’s men recorded a narrow 1-0 in this fixture last season, before a goalless draw was played out in the Spanish capital.
Espanyol vs Atletico Madrid – Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their position in the standings and their unbeaten record in La Liga to date, it comes as little surprise that it is the Atletico Madrid who are the narrow favourites for victory with the majority of bookmakers. Those looking to back the away side for the win for can take advantage of odds of 4/5 from William Hill, while the home side are priced at 4/1 with the same bookmaker.
Top Betting Tip: Espanyol vs Atletico Madrid
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on both teams scoring during the 90 minutes, which is available at odds 54/ ahead of kick-off at Ladbrokes.