Sevilla will aim to continue their ascent of the La Liga table when they face Atletico Madrid in the nation’s capital on Saturday night.
Having endured a below-par season up to now, Sevilla occupy 14th – two points outside the relegation zone and 17 points shy of Atletico.
¡Seguimos preparando a tope el partidazo del sábado! 👊 pic.twitter.com/spaJsCeLew— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) February 28, 2023
¡Seguimos preparando a tope el partidazo del sábado! 👊 pic.twitter.com/spaJsCeLew
At the opposite end of the standings, Diego Simeone’s men find themselves fourth – two points inside the Champions League places and one point behind Real Sociedad.
Atletico Madrid head into Saturday’s clash on a five-game unbeaten streak, having claimed three wins and two draws since their most recent loss.
Last weekend, Simeone’s side held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu, despite seeing just 38% of the ball and recording a solitary shot on target.
When you look at the bigger picture, Atletico have only lost five of their 23 La Liga matches this term – picking up 12 wins and six draws along the way.
It is also worth noting that only table-topping Barcelona have conceded fewer goals than Atletico’s 18 this season, with Jan Oblak keeping nine clean sheers in 21 appearances.
Meanwhile, Sevilla made a dismal start to the 2022-23 campaign, winning just two of their opening 15 league matches.
Although they have upped their game since then – collecting four wins in eight La Liga clashes – they still find themselves in danger of relegation.
Given that Sevilla finished fourth in La Liga last season – one point behind Atletico – it is crazy to think that the Andalusian outfit are currently two points clear of the drop zone.
That said, they have only managed to win six of their 23 league encounters this term, enduring a marked drop-off in 2022-23.
Head-to-head: Sevilla have won just two of their previous 12 La Liga matches against Atletico Madrid, suffering five defeats in the process.
It is also worth pointing out that Atletico have kept a clean sheet in three of their past four victories over Sevilla.
Team news: Atletico Madrid will be without the suspended Angel Correa on Saturday, while Reinildo, Sergio Reguilon and Rodrigo De Paul are injured.
Loic Bade, Karim Rekik and Jesus Manuel Corona are all injured for Sevilla, while Papu Gomez and Marcao are both doubts for this weekend.
Given the 17-point gulf between Atletico and Sevilla, the Champions League chasers should cruise to a comfortable victory over the relegation strugglers.
Forebet predicts that Atletico Madrid will score over 1.5 goals and keep a clean sheet on their way to dispatching Sevilla.