Atlético Madrid in trip to Seville against Betis after UCL defeat.

2024-10-21

As Real Betis aim for consecutive home victories in La Liga, they face a formidable challenge in Atlético de Madrid, who are yet to taste defeat this season and boast a dominant recent record against the hosts.

Real Betis

Betis were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw against Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League in midweek. Despite taking an early lead via Abde Ezzalzouli in the 8th minute, Los Mejores failed to hold on for the win as they were pegged back with 13 minutes left on the clock.

"It's two points lost, but this is just the beginning," Manuel Pellegrini said after the game. Meanwhile, in La Liga, Betis secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Osasuna last weekend.

The win, which was their second in five league games, pushed them up to seventh in the league standings with 15 points. Pellegrini’s men will now aim to secure back-to-back league wins for a second time in this campaign when they welcome Atlético this weekend.

The hosts will look to draw inspiration from their recent league success on home turf, winning three of their last four home games in La Liga. However, a poor head-to-head record against Atlético casts doubts on their ability to find another win here, having failed to record one in their last 10 games against the visitors.

Pellegrini could deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Vitor Roque in attack. Meanwhile, Natan Souza is unavailable for this weekend’s game after receiving a red card in stoppage time against Osasuna.

Atlético Madrid

Atlético are coming off a disappointing 3-1 Champions League defeat to Lille. Despite an early lead through Julián Álvarez in the 8th minute, Diego Simeone's team faltered, conceding three second-half goals, including one from a controversial handball penalty decision.

An irate Simeone remarked after the match, 'There was no handball; there was nothing,’ describing it as a 'hallucinatory error by the referee.' Atlético will aim to put this setback behind them as they travel to Seville for the La Liga clash against Betis this weekend.

Following a 3-1 league victory over Leganés last Sunday, the Mattress Makers hope to achieve back-to-back league wins. Notably, they have won 10 of their last 15 away matches against Betis and will look to replicate that success.

As one of just two teams yet to suffer a loss in La Liga this season, Atlético sit third in the standings with 20 points, four points behind second-place Real Madrid. Fans might expect a 4—4—2 formation, featuring Antoine Griezmann and Julián Álvarez in attack.