Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid won 3-1 to kick off the La Liga season against Granada. The scoreline may have flattered Los Rojiblancos, however.
Atletico scored in first-half stoppage time through Alvaro Morata to take a 1-0 lead.
Full focus on Sunday's match 💪 pic.twitter.com/VgPCebxFoS— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 18, 2023
Full focus on Sunday's match 💪 pic.twitter.com/VgPCebxFoS
Granаda levelled the score in the 62nd minute, but Memphis Depay put Atletico back in front five minutes later.
Marcos Llorente put the game to bed in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time.
Now, Simeone is aiming for a second straight win to start the season.
After a disastrous 2022-23, Atletico could fight for the La Liga title, especially with Real Madrid and Barcelona experiencing so much turnover.
Real Betis also picked up an opening-day win. Los Verdiblancos went to Villarreal and won 2-1.
Ayoze Perez scored in the 20th minute to put Betis ahead, but Villarreal levelled the game on the hour-mark.
With the match winding down, Willian Jose scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time for the win.
Atletico Madrid went unbeaten in their last six games versus Real Betis.
Last season, Atletico won 2-1 away to Betis before claiming a 1-0 win at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Betis struggled to score against Atletico in their last six encounters, totalling a mere three goals.
Meanwhile, Atletico scored 12 times in their last six meetings. The teams combined for 18 yellow cards and one red card.
Simeone’s team started the 2022-23 season badly and were knocked out of the Champions League by Christmas.
However, the team rebounded in the second half of the campaign and went unbeaten in 21 of their final 23 games in La Liga.
Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini will likely be without midfield general William Carvalho.
The defensive midfielder is recovering from a calf injury. Midfielder Nabil Fekir is out until November. He is recovering from an ACL injury.
Simeone will be without his own midfield general, as Axel Witsel is suspended. Defender Jose Gimenez is a doubt due to a knee injury.
Machin Perez is out with an ACL injury and Reinildo Mandava is also recovering from an ACL problem.
Captain Koke is a doubt thanks to a muscle injury. Finally, winger Vitolo could also miss the game after suffering a knee injury.
Expect Atletico to play a defensive game as usual and limit Real Betis’s scoring chances. Atletico should pick up another win over Real Betis, scoring twice. The match should finish 2-0 in Atletico’s favour.