La Liga: Atletico Aim to Tighten Their Grip on Top Spot

Atletico Madrid vs Getafe

La Liga is back in action in midweek and there’s a Madrid derby to look forward to on Wednesday when Getafe head north across the city, to the Wanda Metropolitano, to face league leaders Atletico.

A victory for Diego Simeone’s men will keep them top of the table going into the new year, while Getafe will be aiming to extend a three-match unbeaten run. The La Liga 2020 betting odds show Atletico are likely to be in a three-way battle for the title along with Real Madrid and Barcelona. At the moment Diego Simeone’s side is in pole position, ahead of Los Blancos on goal difference and with two games in hand, while Barca have a lot of ground to make up, eight points further back but beginning to show some signs they won’t give up the chase too easily.

Barcelona host Eibar on Tuesday while Real Madrid are away to Elche on Wednesday, so Los Rojiblancos probably need to win to avoid opening the door for their rivals.

 

Talking Points

Atleti without Trippier  

The big La Liga 2020 news, which emerged last week, was the ten-week ban imposed on Atleti wingback Kieran Trippier for betting irregularities, which means the England star will be unavailable for selection until 28th February. That’s a blow for a team which relies so heavily on its defensive unit, but with Mario Hermoso and Jose Gimenez putting in solid performances, they should be able to cope.

As Los Rojiblancos host Getafe they will know this is the best chance they have had to win the La Liga title since their victorious season in 2013/14. They successfully navigated their last game, against Real Sociedad, with a 2-0 victory last Tuesday as Hermoso and Marcos Llorente were on target. That made it three straight victories for Simeone’s men, and a run of only one defeat in 15 games. The summer arrival of Luis Suarez has made a big difference to Atleti’s attack as the Uruguayan striker has bagged seven goals already, and Llorente has been used in a more advanced role by Simeone, to bolster his front line in the absence of the injured Joao Felix.

 

Getafe turning a corner

A very decent 1-1 draw last Wednesday, to end Celta Vigo’s four-match winning run, left Getafe in 12th  position in the La Liga table. Unbeaten in three matches including two victories in all competitions, Los Azulones have recovered well from a seven-match winless streak and head coach Pepe Bordalas will be looking for more of the same against Atletico. He is reliant on four-goal Angel Rodriguez and Cucho Hernandez who has contributed three assists, to lead an attack which has struggled for goals, scoring just 11 so far this term.

They will be without the suspended left-back Mathias Olivera and centre back Chema, so Getafe will face a serious challenge at both ends of the pitch.

 

History

Los Rojiblancos won the last meeting, which was away to Getafe, 2-0, thanks to goals from Marcos Llorente and Thomas Partey, and that made it six straight victories in the head to heads for Simeone’s team, without conceding a single goal. In fact, they are unbeaten in the last 18 meetings, the last time Getafe coming out on top was in 2011 by a 3-2 scoreline.

The most recent meeting at the Wanda Metropolitano ended in a bad-tempered 1-0 victory for the hosts. Alvaro Morata scored the only goal and missed a penalty while both teams ended up with ten men, Atleti’s Renan Lodi sent off just before the break after Jorge Molina had seen red for the visitors.

 

Betting Tip

	Atletico Madrid vs Getafe	Atletico Madrid First Half Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 2.20
	December 31, 02:15 (GMT+8)

Atleti’s home record is six wins and one draw this season, and here at SBOTOP we have the hosts at 1.48 to make it a seventh victory at the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday.

Getafe are at 6.60 and the draw is at 4.20, which could be a useful outside bet when you consider the recent upturn in fortunes for Los Azulones. But to face a side so well organised and in excellent form at home, without two of your defenders, is a difficult task. I can see Getafe drawing yet another blank against Los Rojiblancos and it could be a case of damage limitation.

1-0 is the most likely outcome at odds of 4.30, while 2-0 looks to be good value at 5.40.

A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH:
= €20 (Highly confident)	= €10 (CONFIDENT)	= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)

Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.

 

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