Atl. Madrid vs Girona prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-10-07 14:15.
Just days after Atlético Madrid president Enrique Cerezo declared that Diego Simeone will decide when his tenure as manager comes to an end, a humiliating 2-0 loss away to Club Brugge in a Champions League clash added to the woes of their worst seven-game start to a La Liga (LL) season in four years. Perhaps Cerezo has a fresh memory of Simeone steering Los Rojiblancos to second after winning just three of their first seven LL games of 2018/19 and thus is opting not to panic.
This will be their first engagement of the LL season against a newly promoted club after recording just one commanding 2+ goal victory from six such meetings last season (W4, L2). They certainly welcomed a trip to struggling Sevilla last weekend and should relish this opportunity to build some strong domestic momentum, particularly with all four of their LL wins against clubs placed ninth or lower at the completion of the seventh matchweek.
Girona failed to fix their defence during the international break, as their 5-3 defeat at home to Real Sociedad last weekend saw them concede the most goals in a single LL match since losing 1-6 to Barcelona in February 2018. All four of their LL defeats have been to clubs placed 11th or higher after the previous round, leaving them appearing likely to be outclassed once again by one of the league’s strongest competitors.
“We hit them but they knocked us out” was how manager Míchel assessed that loss to Sociedad, as he expressed his grave concern about their defensive composure that has seen them concede equalisers in each of their last three LL outings (W1, L2). Girona will at least benefit from their first goalscorer from last weekend, Rodrigo Riquelme, being permitted to play against parent club Atlético – which will make a fascinating subtext for this encounter.
Players to watch: With his second half strike last weekend, Álvaro Morata became the only player to score in two of Atlético’s four LL wins this season. It has been a tough start to 2022/23 for Girona goalkeeper Juan Carlos Martín, who has now completed 13 consecutive LL starts without a clean sheet.
Hot stat: Atlético have conceded no first half goals in ten of their last 11 LL matches (W7, D2, L1).