Preview: Atletico Madrid vs. Sevilla
Atletico Madrid will be bidding to stretch their unbeaten run in La Liga to eight matches when they welcome Sevilla to Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday night.
Diego Simeone’s side will enter the match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in the Madrid derby, while Sevilla suffered a 3-2 home defeat to Osasuna last time out.
Atletico were on the verge of securing a huge victory away to Real Madrid last weekend, with Jose Gimenez sending the Red and Whites ahead in the 78th minute of the contest at Bernabeu, but Alvaro Rodriguez came off the bench to score a leveller for the reigning champions in what proved to be a 1-1 draw.
Simeone’s team are now unbeaten in their last seven league matches, which has left them in fourth position in the table, just one point behind third-placed Real Sociedad, but they are only two points ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis, with the race for the Champions League spots intensifying at this stage of the season.
Atletico have no European football for the rest of the campaign, while they have also been knocked out of the Copa del Rey, so their only focus is on securing a top-four position in La Liga, which should put them at an advantage.
The capital giants have dropped points in six of their 11 home league games this term, though, and there is no getting away from the fact that it has been a frustrating campaign for the club.
Atletico recorded a 2-0 victory over Sevilla in the reverse match earlier this season, but the points were shared in a 1-1 draw when the two teams locked horns at Wanda Metropolitano last term.
Sevilla, meanwhile, managed to book their spot in the last-16 stage of the Europa League on February 23 despite suffering a 2-0 loss to PSV Eindhoven in the second leg of their playoff encounter.
Jorge Sampaoli’s side will take on Fenerbahce in the next round of the competition, and they will almost certainly have to win the Europa League in order to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Indeed, a hugely disappointing domestic campaign has left them down in 14th position in the table, boasting only 25 points from their 23 matches.
Sevilla are just two points clear of the relegation zone and some 17 points behind fourth-placed Atletico, so they are looking down the division rather than up at this stage of the campaign.
Sampaoli’s side will enter this match off the back of a 3-2 home defeat to Osasuna last weekend, with Abde Ezzalzouli scoring the winner for the visitors in the 85th minute of the contest.
Sevilla have finished fourth in each of their last three La Liga campaigns, while they have not placed lower than ninth since a 10th-place finish 20 years ago.
Atletico Madrid La Liga form:
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Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):
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Sevilla La Liga form:
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Sevilla form (all competitions):
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We say: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Sevilla
Sevilla are clearly a lot better than they have shown for much of the season, but this is a very difficult match for Sampaoli’s side. Atletico have not been in top form at Wanda Metropolitano in 2022-23, but the Red and Whites impressed at Bernabeu last weekend, and we are expecting them to secure all three points here.