Atl. Madrid vs Espanyol prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-11-05 13:00.
In a duel of the âDiegosâ, AtlĂ©tico Madrid will welcome Espanyol with La Ligaâs (LL) gunslingers clinging onto their top-four position. AtlĂ©tico have endured a rough time recently, illustrated most recently by Tuesdayâs 2-1 defeat at Porto which saw them finish bottom of their UEFA Champions League group for the first time ever, a fate assessed by under-pressure manager Diego Simeone as âdeservedâ.
Their 3-2 LL loss to CĂĄdiz last week was perhaps warranted too, in a game which saw them concede both their earliest LL goal since 2003 and their latest this century! With speculation now building around Simeone's position, heâll be desperate to bounce back with his troops winless after three home games in all tournaments (D3) for the first time since September 2021. Notably, they did end that run back then with a 2-0 home victory over another Catalan club – Barcelona!
Espanyol have been stalemate kings this season, with no LL side drawing more often (five) after 12 games played. Four of their last six games (W1, L1) have ended all square including last roundâs 1-1 draw against fellow relegation contenders Mallorca. Manager Diego MartĂnez praised his side's performance against a âvery solid defenceâ in that game, perhaps with this contest in mind.
The need for wins continues to intensify. After surviving relegation by just four points last season, theyâre currently three points worse off after 12 games played this term – marking potentially dangerous territory. It wonât be an easy feat at the Metropolitano Stadium, as they are winless in their last 12 top-flight away contests against LLâs current top four (D2, L10). They could draw some inspiration from the last time they won such a fixture – against AtlĂ©tico in 2019 (2-0).
Key battle: AtlĂ©ticoâs Yannick Carrasco scored and assisted in his last home outing and also netted twice in the last H2H here. He also scored against Espanyol âkeeper Benjamin Lecomte the last time they met in 2014/15 and the stopper will want to get back on track having kept just one clean sheet this campaign.
Hot streak: Espanyol have conceded first in their last four league away games.