Atletico Madrid v Valencia Betting Tips [22 January 2022]

Atletico Madrid will look to bounce back after two disappointing defeats which saw them knocked out of two different cup competitions. Simeone will be demanding a response from his players after they followed up their 2-1 defeat in the Super Cup semi-final to Athletic Club with a 2-0 loss to Real Sociedad which saw them bounced from the Copa del Rey in the round of 16. Los Rojiblancos now sit fourth in the league table with 33 points - a massive 16 points behind their city rivals Real Madrid. They will host this La Liga round 22 match against Valencia side that have advanced to the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey and will be looking to close the gap on the top four. Valencia currently sit in ninth place after a 1-1 draw with Sevilla, although they only trail the top four by four points. 

Despite Atletico’s recent disappointments, they have been solid at the Wanda Metropolitana this season in La Liga with a record of five wins, three draws and only one defeat. Their defense, a usual staple for a Simeone side, has been airtight at home - only conceding six goals and keeping six clean sheets in nine matches. They will come up against a Valencia side that has been involved in a number of high scoring games. Jose Bordalas’ team average the highest total goals per match in the entire league at 3.14 and that number increases to 3.50 when they play away from home. Atletico Madrid should be able to notch a couple of goals in this one against a Valencia team that has allowed 20 goals in their 10 away league matches. Valencia’s open style of play means they should be able to at least breach this strong Atleti rearguard but the visitors are unlikely to walk away with a win.

We’re going to back over 2.5 goals in this match. This is a match where we would expect a strong Atletico response given their recent results and Simeone’s men should be able to bounce back with a win. Valencia’s style of play lends itself towards high scoring matches and we think they’ll be able to notch at least a goal here. A 2-1 victory to the hosts is a likely outcome.