Atl. Madrid vs Las Palmas prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-02-16 13:00.
Before they turn their attention to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, Atlético Madrid face an increasingly difficult battle to secure their spot in the 2024/25 edition via a top-four La Liga finish. Their grip on fourth place loosened further following the recent loss away to struggling Sevilla (1-0) which was their third consecutive competitive match without a victory (D1, L2).
Cracks are beginning to appear in the foundations, with head coach Diego Simeone publicly showing some frustrations towards the Spanish FA for not moving this Saturday fixture to Friday to match Inter Milan’s recovery time ahead of next week. But even despite this turbulent period, their La Liga home performances have at least remained assured with a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in their previous outing here extending their home record to a near-perfect 11 wins from 12 league games (D1).
Las Palmas continue to outperform expectations in their first season back in the top flight, defeating Valencia 2-0 last weekend to leapfrog them into eighth place in the table. With just three points separating them and sixth-place Real Betis going into the round, the dream of their first European foray since 1977/78 remains a realistic prospect.
But if Las Palmas want to start rubbing shoulders with the elite, they have to start finding a way to defeat them more regularly. Their 2-1 home victory over Atlético in early November carries a lot of weight as far as this match is concerned, but it remains their only La Liga win against any side starting this round above them in the standings (D1, L6). Even more concerningly, they failed to score in all five La Liga away trips to current top-half clubs, losing all five matches by either a 1-0 (x4) or 2-0 (x1) scoreline.
Players to watch: Álvaro Morata’s injury could mean a start for Atlético’s Memphis Depay, who has won the last 14 La Liga games in which he scored (nine at home). One man looking to stop Depay and his teammates could be Las Palmas left-back Sergi Cardona, who finished the last round with a league-best 42 tackles won.
Hot streak: Las Palmas have not conceded a first-half goal in a league win this season, with six 1-0 half-time leads and 0-0 scores in the remaining four.