It’s week two of the Spanish La Liga season, and we have an action-packed Sunday ahead, with three games played on the final day of the week. The show begins at 16:30 when Girona tackles Getafe before Barcelona hosts Cadiz at the Camp Nou. The final game of the day is where we focus our attention as Real Betis plays Atletico Madrid. After reading our team’s in-depth preview, follow the play live on television from 20:30. Which team do our experts think will win, and where can you find the value? Keep reading for all the information you need to enjoy Real Betis v Atletico Madrid.
Real Betis is a side you’d expect to be planning for a midtable finish, as far away from the relegation zone as possible. Atletico Madrid is a team you’d expect to see pushing for the prize places, hassling the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid for the title. Nothing is set in stone this term, and many pundits predict Betis will be the surprise package this season, while Atletico has its fair share of critics and doubters. Both teams’ paths won’t be decided on Sunday evening, but we’ll better understand what to expect from Betis and Atletico once the result is confirmed.
The stats sheet attached to this game shows Real Betis and Atletico Madrid are no strangers to meeting in competitive action. The most recent game involving the two teams was in April, and it finished in a 1-0 home win for Madrid with the goal scored by Angel Correa on 86 minutes when it looked like the rivals were heading for a draw. Madrid won 2-1 when last in Betis thanks to a double from Antoine Griezzman, the Frenchman striking twice to give his team a 2-0 lead before Betis netted a late consolation goal. Both teams have scored in two of the last three. Will we see a repeat performance on Sunday?
Betis bag an away win
Real Betis weren’t one of the early favourites to win the La Liga title, and many pundits expect a bottom-half finish this season, but that appears to have fallen on deaf ears in Betis. The team doesn’t pay attention to critics and pundits’ predictions; they like to keep their heads down and work hard for any points that come their way. It’s not often we see Betis start with back-to-back wins, claiming six points from a possible six, but that’s a possibility when hosting Atletico Madrid.
Beating a team expected to be challenging for the title is no mean feat, but playing Atletico Madrid early in the season brings advantages. The home team hopes to catch their big-name opponents cold and knows they must fully use the home advantage. Beating Madrid won’t be easy for Betis, but it’s certainly not the mission impossible some football writers would have you believe. We expect a competitive 90 minutes as both sets of players continue to build fitness and sharpness.
Bet herePerez scored to give Real Betis an early lead against Villarreal away from home last Sunday, but they were pegged back by a strike from Cuenca, who brought the sides level with a delightful goal on the hour. With the game headed for a draw and point each, there was late drama as Da Silva netted the winner deep in stoppage time. With 95 minutes on the clock, it was a thrilling finish to the play, and Betis fans believe justice was done after watching their team push hard to get the match-winning goal. More of the same on Sunday?
Madrid is back in action
The 2023/24 campaign promises to be an important one for Atletico Madrid as they aim to regain former glory. The visitors had spent much of the last few years pushing to regain the La Liga title without having the consistency needed to be considered genuine challengers. Atletico is well respected in Spain, but many professional pundits prefer to see the team in action a few times before passing judgement. Which version of Madrid will we see this year? Can they challenge for the title?
The quickest way to get up to speed with their rivals and gain the match fitness and sharpness needed to compete comes from playing games. Players want to get minutes in the legs, and they’ll be happy with a frantic start to the season. Atletico Madrid didn’t play last weekend, as they were in action on Monday evening when hosting Granada. A useful workout and an ideal way to build fitness, but the players must be ready to go again less than a week later. It’ll be a shock to the system following a summer break, but we’ll see just what Madrid is made of this year.
Victory on Sunday would set Madrid on the right path, giving them something solid to build their season on. Away wins don’t come cheap at this level, but Atletico knows they hold a strong winning record over Betis in recent years, including that useful 2-1 win achieved here in October 2022. The result is far more important than the performance for both teams, and Atletico Madrid fans would accept a win of any description, no matter how tight.
Real Betis v Atletico Madrid prediction
Betis worked hard to get the win over Villarreal on the road last week, but their performance was better than the final result suggests. They’re now on home soil, and we should see a better, stronger, and more organised Betis. But will they be good enough to defeat Madrid?
Atletico is under pressure early as they know a massive season awaits. It’s a campaign Madrid’s other team must get right if they are to return to the major places in La Liga and challenge Barca and Real Madrid for silverware. Does Atletico want to be Spain’s third-best team or a danger to the nation’s two famous teams? We’ll find out on Sunday.
La Liga odds
The pre-game betting odds are available to all 22bet registered customers, and you’ll get Real Betis to win at 3.82 or Atletico Madrid at 1.984. The draw trades at 3.46.
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