Despite reaching the Champions League final in both 2014 and 2016, Atletico Madrid have failed to discover their top form so far this season, making their upcoming encounter with Qarabag FK a must win game. The Azerbaijan-based visitors have already proven that they are no pushovers at this level.
Champions League – Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid– Tuesday 31st October – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 9 at PaddyPower |
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Atletico Madrid
Qarabag FKMatch Preview
Azerbaijan champions Qarabag travel to Madrid next week in the hope of upsetting the applecart once again in this year’s competition. However, it is the home side who are the undoubted favourites for the win, with the Spanish giants finding themselves three points behind Roma in the Group C standings heading into the tie. With a number of betting markets to check out surrounding the encounter, let’s take a closer look at the two teams, starting with Atletico Madrid.
Atletico Madrid Team News & Form
Having been defeated in their opening Champions League win at their new stadium, Atletico Madrid and manager Diego Simeone are under pressure to deliver, with the possibility of playing Europa League football after Christmas now distinct. Having defeated Celta Vigo away from home in La Liga over the weekend, Atletico fans will be hoping that a corner has been turned, with the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Koke and Saul Niguez still searching for their best form this season. Defender Diego Godin equalled the appearance record for a non-Spaniard for the team last time around, with the Uruguayan likely to be a danger at both ends of the field for the home side. Atletico have scored just one goal in the Champions League so far this season.
Qarabag FK Team News & Form
Qarabag performed admirably to earn a goalless draw against Atletico in Azerbaijan last time around, with Gurban Gurbanov’s men hoping to repeat the trick in Madrid next week. However, they will be without South African striker Dino Ndlovu, who was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for diving in the latter stages of last week’s match. Qarabag suffered a surprise defeat to rivals Qabala in the league at the weekend, with Atletico undoubtedly keen to take advantage of their defensive frailties.
Head to Head
Last week’s meeting was the first ever competitive clash between the two sides, meaning that there is little to go on when looking to make predictions off such information. Qarabag’s trip to Madrid next week is a completely new venture for the Azerbaijan club.
Betting Odds and Predictions
With Atletico being the overwhelming favourites for victory with the majority of bookmakers, with Ladbrokes offering the Spanish side odds of 1/9, it is worth looking further afield when it comes to wagering on this match. The Azerbaijan side can be backed at odds of 50 at Ladbrokes, while betting on Atletico keeping a clean sheet is available at odds of 1/8 at Ladbrokes. Finally, betting on Antonie Griezmann to score at any point during the 90 minutes is available at William Hill, with odds of 8/13 on offer.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for the match is to bet on Atletico Madrid to win and over 2.5 goals being scored, which can be found at odds of 8/13 at Ladbrokes.