La Liga: Atleti’s Title Charge Heads to Getafe

Getafe vs Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone takes his Atletico Madrid across town on Saturday to take on Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez, in a game they need to win to keep their 2021 La Liga title plans on track.

With Barcelona on a hot streak of form in the league, Atleti need to keep their nerve and momentum. The Blaugrana are out of the Champions League, having failed to haul themselves back from a three-goal deficit against Paris Saint-Germain, and will concentrate all their efforts on claiming back the domestic league title.

The SBOTOP La Liga odds tell us Barca is the team Atleti needs to watch out for, but on Saturday they will be concentrating solely on Madrid minnows Getafe, a team in strife and desperate for points.

Talking points

Getafe slipping into peril

After a solid start to the 2020/21 campaign, Getafe have hit the rocks and now found themselves looking over their shoulders, with a five-point cushion to the relegation places but dropping like a stone. Defeat to fellow strugglers Real Valladolid last week made it five losses in six league games and this is quite a fall for Head Coach Pepe Bordalas, whose side was fifth in the table last season, with 45 points at this stage, and ended up eighth, narrowly missing out on a European place.

Two weeks ago Getafe showed signs of a recovery with a 3-0 victory over Valencia, as 32-year old Jaime Mata scored his fifth league goal of the season. He forms part of an experienced front two, alongside 33-year old Angel Rodriguez who also has five goals, and if they both get near to double figures then Getafe should be okay.

Cucho Hernandez, on loan from English Championship club Watford, has made four assists and he will stretch the Atleti defence, while Getafe’s own rearguard is marshalled by their uncompromising skipper Djene, who has already picked up six yellow cards and two reds in this campaign.

La Liga: Getafe will host Atletico Madrid at Coliseum Alfonso Perez — Cucho Hernandez in action for Getafe against Real Madrid

Suarez could be the signing of the year

Los Rojiblacos were at home to Athletic Club on Wednesday night and came from behind to win 2-1 thanks to goals from Luis Suarez and Marcos Llorente. The victory took Simeone’s team six points clear at the top of La Liga as Llorente made it nine goals for the season.

But it’s the 18 league goals scored by Suarez that have written the La Liga 2021 news headlines and fired Atleti to a very strong position in their quest for a first La Liga title since 2014. They have finished in the top three ever since but Simeone is determined to take his team back to the very top again.

Signing Suarez was a masterstroke.

The Uruguayan was dumped by Barca boss Ronald Koeman before the start of the season, and that might just be the biggest mistake the Dutchman has made in his managerial career. The Blaugrana are out of Europe and trailing the league leaders by six points, while Suarez is right in the hunt for the Golden Boot, just a single goal behind his old mate Lionel Messi and with the only ratio of goals-per-minute under 100, at 99, while Messi has scored a goal every 107 minutes.

Suarez has the best goal conversion too, scoring 31 per cent of his 59 shots while Messi stands at 19 per cent.

Atleti could have been in an even better position had they not been held to a draw in the Madrid derby last week, when Karim Benzema equalised with just two minutes left on the clock.

In defence, while Jose Gimenez remains injured, wing-back Kieran Trippier is hitting top form again and is a useful weapon in attack, making four assists so far this season.

History

Los Rojiblancos have won two-thirds of their meetings with Getafe this century, 24 from 36, while drawing eight and losing four, and have gone seven games unbeaten against their neighbours.

In the last match of 2020 Atleti beat Getafe 1-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano, in fact Simeone’s side have won the last six meetings, three by a 2-0 scoreline and three by 1-0.

And the league leaders are tough to beat on the road, unbeaten in five matches away from home.

Betting Tip

	Getafe vs Atletico Madrid	1X2 Atletico Madrid @ 2.03
	March 14, 04:00 (GMT+8)

With the draw at 3.05 and Getafe at 4.00, the Getafe vs Atletico Madrid betting odds tell us all three results are right in play here; but while Getafe need to stop their rot, Atleti have an equal, if not greater, need and a deeper squad, with star man Suarez in scoring mood.

I expect the pattern of the last six meetings to continue and for a score-line, 0-1 is available at odds of 4.36 with 0-2 at 7.72.

Take your pick!