La Liga: Sevilla Badly Need a Win Against Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla

Sevilla are at the bottom of the La Liga standings, and they have a tough matchup against Atletico Madrid at the Civitas Metropolitano.

Los Palanganas are in this position because they opened their 2023-24 campaign with three consecutive losses. In stark contrast, Los Rojiblancos are in the Top 3 with seven points, following two wins and one draw.

Yes, it is still early, but starting the season on a poor note is far from ideal if you’re Sevilla, as they wouldn’t want to be in the thick of the relegation battle, just like in January earlier this year.

Can they halt their skid on the road this Sunday? Find out more about these two teams ahead of this match here at SBOTOP.

Talking Points

Atletico still firing despite imminent outgoings

Much of the transfer talk surrounding Atletico Madrid recently has been about Joao Felix and Yannick Carrasco, as both have been heavily linked with leaving the club with the summer transfer window deadline just around the corner.

Felix has been frozen out of Diego Simeone’s rotation, so it’s just a matter of time for him to move elsewhere. According to reports, Barcelona are pushing hard to get the 23-year-old, and they have apparently “reached an agreement”.

Meanwhile, Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab are close to agreeing a deal for Yannick Carrasco. The Belgian international has less than 12 months remaining on his current Atletico Madrid contract.

Unlike Felix, Atletico Madrid are said to be reluctant to let Carrasco go since he’s their starting left-back. But like most players this summer who chased the oil money in the Gulf, Carrasco is pushing to leave before Friday’s deadline.

Transfer talks often serve as a distraction for teams, but it feels like that hasn’t bothered Atletico Madrid one bit based on their initial La Liga 2023 results.

After being held to a goalless draw by Real Betis, Atletico Madrid shipped seven goals past Rayo Vallecano, with six different players finding the back of the net.

Alvaro Morata had a brace, while Antoine Griezmann, Memphis Depay, Nahuel Molina, Angel Correa, and Marcos Llorente also did their bit. All of them should compete against Sevilla this weekend, except for Memphis Depay, who is nursing a thigh injury.

Sevilla hit rock bottom

Sevilla have now lost their last five league matches dating back to last season. And should they lose to Atletico Madrid, they will suffer their worst losing streak in the Spanish top-flight since May 2000, which was the last time they got relegated to the Segunda Division.

Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men managed to put up a valiant fight against Manchester City in the UEFA Super Cup final, but they couldn’t replicate the same effort against Valencia, Alaves, and Girona.

Defence is one of the main problems right now for Sevilla, as they’ve conceded eight league goals in their first three games. They’re clearly missing their defencive stalwarts, Marcos Acuna, Marcao, and Fernando.

And what’s worse is that they have put their entire squad up for sale due to their €90 million in debt. Sevilla will be forced to sell its top players, including star forward Lucas Ocampo, whom Fulham are interested in.

History

It wasn’t too long ago when Atletico Madrid and Sevilla last faced off, albeit in a club friendly that was held in San Francisco, California.

In the said tune-up game, Rafa Mir put Los Palanganas ahead by one goal during the 66^th minute, but Angel Correa scored the equaliser for Los Rojilblancos late for the 1-1 draw.

In La Liga last season, Atletico Madrid had a league double against Sevilla, dominating them with an aggregate tally of 8-1 after having managed just one win in their previous eight matches against them in the competition (W1, D5, L2).

Sevilla have gone 14 consecutive away league matches without a win against Atletico Madrid (D7, L7), with their last win being a 1-0 result in September 2008. This is their worst ever winless run against them in the competition.

Betting Tip

Atletico Madrid are favoured by the La Liga 2023 odds to win at home this weekend, which isn’t surprising considering their recent form. Los Rojiblancos are priced at 1.48, a Sevilla win is at 5.80, and a draw is at 3.05 in the 1X2 market.

On paper, these are two sides that should be evenly matched, but there is a widening gulf between these two sides. And with the home crowd on their side, we’re backing Atletico Madrid to come away with a comfortable victory.

 

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