Atletico Madrid will aim to bounce back from a shock home defeat in the Champions League when they resume their La Liga campaign with a clash against Real Betis on Sunday evening.

Diego Simeones side is third in La Liga tableseven points behind leaders Barcelona, ​​while Real Betis are seventh and boast 15 points from their first 10 games of the 2024-2025 campaign.

Match preview

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Real Betis will also go into this match on the back of a European game, a 1-1 draw against Copenhagen Conference League on Thursday night, with the result leaving them 27th in the league stage.

Manuel PellegriniHowever, the team last won in La Liga, beating Osasuna 2-1 to move to 15 points, with a record of four wins, three draws and three defeats from 10 games this season to sit seventh in the table.

The Sevilla outfit are just three points off the top four at this stage of the process, while they have been relatively solid defensively this season, conceding just nine times in their 10 games, but the green and whites will face the best defense in La League this weekend, with Atletico only conceding six times in 2024-25.

Real Betis have been strong at home this season, winning three and losing just one of their five matches, and they will look for another victory here ahead of their 2024-25 Copa del Rey opener against Gevora.

The green and whites have not beaten Atletico in La Liga since February 2019, but the corresponding clash between the two sides in the 2023-24 campaign ended in a draw.

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Atletico were stunning in the Champions League on Wednesday night, losing 3-1 to Lille at the Wanda Metropolitano, with the French outfit netting three times in the second half after Julian Alvarez had had the breakthrough.

Simeone’s side were also beaten 4-0 by Benfica in the Champions League at the start of October, and they currently sit 27th in the the tableand picked up just three points from their first three games.

However, the Reds and Whites are unbeaten in La Liga this season, winning five and drawing five of their 10 matches to amass 20 points, which has left them third in the table, seven points off leaders Barcelona.

Atletico won 3-1 over Leganes in the league last weekend, but they have been held in three of their five away games in La Liga this term, dropping points against Villarreal, Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad.

Simeone will be expecting a response from his players on Sunday after the European disappointment, and the capital have won five of their last six La Liga games against Real Betis.

Real Betis’ La Liga form:

Real Betis form (all competitions):

Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

Team news

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Real Betis will be without the services of four players through injury on Sunday, with Giovani Lo Celso, Marc Roca, William Carvalho and Isco not available for selection.

Center back Nathan is also out of the game due to suspension due to the red card he picked up in the latter stages of the contest with Osasuna last weekend.

Lo Celso’s absence is a big one given that he has scored five of the team’s 10 league goals this season, and Pellegrini is again expected to go with a second this weekend, with Vitor Roque will probably be next to it Cedric Bakambu.

As for Atletico, Clement Lenglet, Pablo Barrios, Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand and Cesar Azpilicueta will miss this weekend.

Head coach Simeone is expected to resist the temptation to reshuffle his pack after the Lille defeat, but there could potentially be a recall at left-back for Samuel Lino.

Antoine GriezmannAlvarez and Alexander Sorloth should once again feature in the final third of the field, and Simeone will be hoping the trio will start to click in the coming weeks.

Real Betis possible starting line-up:
Silva; Bellerin, Bartra, Llorente, Perraud; Ezzalzouli, Cardoso, Altimira, Fornals; Roque, Bakambu

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Molina, Witsel, Gimenez, Lino; Koke, De Paul, Gallagher; Griezmann; Alvarez, Sorloth

We say: Real Betis 1-2 Atletico Madrid

Atletico will have had an extra day of recovery for this game, which could prove crucial, especially in the second half. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a draw on Sunday night, but we just have a feeling that Atletico will be able to navigate their way to a vital three points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match, click here.

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