One of the standout fixtures taking place on Saturday’s card and although this won’t pull in a massive audience due to the 3.15pm start time putting it in competition with the English Premier League, followers are guaranteed an enjoyable match with entertainment from the first to final whistle. Here are our top Espanyol v Atletico Madrid betting tips.
An In-Depth Look at the Match
Espanyol start in 10th and are cutting through the stragglers in La Liga, piecing together a recent unbeaten run that has forced them up into the top-half of the table. Two wins followed by three draws has the locals believing again and they will take some shifting in front of their own fans.
Three draws on the bounce makes Espanyol a tricky side for punters to trust but they have made themselves difficult to beat in the closing weeks of the season. We have to give them credit for that as many around them are showing signs of throwing in the towel as the season winds down. A 2-2 share away to Levante was followed by a 1-1 at home to Celta Vigo before holding on to share two goals with Real Betis last time. Another draw appeals at 11/5 (Bet365), the home win marked as 13/5 outsider with the same bookie.
Atletico Coasting
Atletico Madrid were threatened by the recent return to form of rivals Real Madrid and it looked like we had a fight on our hands for second place but Blancos have been poor for much of this campaign to date and fell back into bad habits when winning only one of their last four. That has allowed Atletico to take full advantage and they now have a nine-point cushion over Real in third. They will get nowhere near challenging the dominance of Barcelona who have had this league wrapped up for months.
Four wins on the bounce has the visitors as the division’s form side but they were made to work for the points last time out when scrapping to a narrow 1-0 over Real Valladolid. The victors dominated the match but struggled to find a way through to goal. In the end, they were helped by Fernandez who knocked the ball past his own goalkeeper under heavy pressure with 66 minutes on the clock. That was a deserved goal, of course, but it was all a little too close for comfort against a side they should be beating without fuss. The away win is our pick at 6/5 – top price with Unibet.