Atl. Madrid vs Girona prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-08-24 19:30.
[p]In a season that looks set to bring up 700 games in charge for Atlético Madrid boss Diego Simeone, game 682 was a bit of a disappointment as his side could only conjure up a 2-2 draw against Villarreal in their season opener. Having now spent well in excess of £100 million on improving his squad for this season, Simeone will hope not to see his side concede more “avoidable” goals after lamenting their defensive showing against Villarreal. [/p]
[p]Often renowned for their defensive resilience, Los Colchoneros have actually only kept one clean sheet from their last six home league outings (W4, L2). Girona were one of the teams to breach their defence, but that was a game Atlético won 3-1 and they’ll need a repeat result here if they’re to avoid failing to win either of their first two La Liga games in a season for the first time since 2016/17. [/p]
[p]Girona themselves run the risk of opening their campaign with two winless outings after a 1-1 draw against Real Betis on opening weekend. Like AtlĂ©tico did in their game, Girona battled from behind to claim a point, but another draw here would see them fail to win either of their opening two La Liga games for only the second time in history – the only other time they did so in 2018/19 they went on to be relegated![/p]
[p]While relegation this time around seems unthinkable for last season’s third-place side, one win from eight La Liga H2Hs (D3, L4) would hint they may move one step closer towards that negative omen here. On a more positive note, they are at least unbeaten in four away league games (W2, D2), though they’ll be acutely aware that the last side to beat them on their travels was indeed Atlético Madrid.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: New AtlĂ©tico recruit Alexander Sørloth again showcased his aerial prowess on matchday one – five of his last seven goals have been scored with his head. Girona have signed Bojan Miovski to plug an Artem Dovbyk-shaped hole in their attack and he’ll be hoping to get off to a fast start given he’s opened the scoring on eight of his last ten scoring appearances. [/p]
[p]Hot streak: Atlético Madrid have scored at least twice in the last four H2Hs they’ve hosted.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Chris Wilson[/i][/p]