In-form Valencia can cause Atletico problems at the Vicente Calderon.
Atletico v Valencia – Sunday 15:15, Sky Sports 5
Atletico once again stuttered in a frustrating season, only salvaging a draw at Deportivo thanks to a stunning long-range Griezmann strike. Once the best defence in Europe, their back-line stubbornness seems to have escaped them at times this season and it’s now just two clean sheets in their last 11 in all competitions. Valencia have had an impressive scoring record this term, netting in 11 of 13 on the road, so at odds-against both teams to score is a must.
Valencia have drawn away from the relegation dog-fight with five successes in their last nine, including an impressive victory over title chasers Real Madrid. Four of these came at home and while they have just one win in nine on the road, it did come at sixth-placed Villarreal. In fact, this recent turnaround in form has seen Los Che defeat top-half sides in four of the five wins. Although they’ve lost their other five visits to current top-half sides, they all came in the first half of the season when they were struggling, yet they remained competitive, losing none by more than one goal.
Valencia will have gained plenty of confidence in recent weeks and we think they can get a positive result here, even with Atletico’s impressive home record. Villarreal and Real Sociedad are the only sides to win at the Vicente Calderon outside the Big Two during Simeone’s reign, so we suggest backing the draw in what could be another frustrating afternoon for Atletico.
