Espanyol vs Atl. Madrid prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2025-03-28 15:15.
[p]Two teams with very different La Liga aspirations meet on Saturday, as Espanyol host Atlético Madrid with the league now entering its final stages. The relegation-threatened Catalan club have blown hot and cold recently, putting together a ten-game La Liga streak of matches with a differing result (W3, D4, L3) and that lack of consistency explains why they’re struggling so much. [/p]
[p]A return home could ignite a response though as they are currently on an eight-game unbeaten streak on their own turf in La Liga (W3, D5) – their longest since January 2017. That run includes a win over reigning league champions Real Madrid, so Espanyol ought not to be fearful about welcoming an AtlĂ©tico side who they have lost just one of the last five home league H2Hs against (W2, D2). [/p]
[p]Simeone’s Atlético find themselves returning from the international break in an unusual position as their season has been heavily damaged after four straight losses in all competitions. That negative run saw them exit the Champions League at the hands of bitter rivals Real, before seeing their title bid dented just days after by a 4-2 defeat to Barcelona on their own turf which leaves them playing a huge amount of catch-up in the title race. [/p]
[p]Whether that psychological blow hurts them here is yet to be seen, but a 2-1 defeat to Getafe in their last away outing is unlikely to inspire much confidence. Three successive H2H draws, including a goalless stalemate in this season’s reverse, hint that a revival here may be difficult, but having scored 17 goals of their 46 La Liga goals this season after the 75th minute this term, a late flurry could end that run of draws.[/p]
[p]Key battle: Rumoured to be joining Atleti’s backline in the summer is Espanyol keeper Joan GarcĂa – he’s made 3+ saves in ten of his last 11 La Liga appearances. Julián Alvarez has scored four goals from his past four league matches as part of a streak that has seen him grab nine goal contributions in his last nine games in all competitions (G7, A2). [/p]
[p]Hot streak: Espanyol have scored exactly once in seven successive La Liga games.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Luke Bridle[/i][/p]