Welcome to October, and a fascinating weekend of fixtures from the Spanish La Liga heralds the new month. This season’s campaign promises to be one of the most competitive we’ve seen for many years, with a strong case for three or four sides winning the championship trophy. The favourites include current La Liga champions Real Madrid and a Barcelona team that appears to be back on the right track following a tough spell on and off the field of play. But what about 021 champions Atletico Madrid? Are they considered challengers? We’ll find out after their trip to Seville.
Madrid is the away team on matchday seven but make this trip knowing a strong win is needed to keep them up to speed with the early leaders. They may rate as a recent champion, but Atletico has work to do if they are to catapult themselves into contention, opening the week outside the top four following a slow start. Sevilla fans hope to see their team use the home advantage to earn three points and go three games unbeaten.
Of course, these teams are no strangers to meeting in competitive action, and they were last seen producing a two-goal draw in Madrid earlier this year. The rivals played twice last term, with Sevilla winning 2-1 at home before a 1-1 draw on the road. That means we must go back to January 2021 for Atletico’s last win over Sevilla, and that’s a run of three games without defeat for the locals. Will that run continue, or will we see Madrid back firing? Read on for our thoughts and predictions.
Painfully slow start for Sevilla
Sevilla is a team that hasn’t won the La Liga title since 1946, but they did end in the top four last time, meaning they play Champions League football this season. Will they challenge the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for the prize? That remains to be seen, but they can do themselves a huge favour by grabbing three crucial points in the opening match of the month, getting their season back on track after a tough opening spell. All will be revealed.
The locals go into this match down in 15th place in La Liga with just five teams worse off after six games. Their lowly position is owed to winning just one of their first six games, drawing two and losing the other three. They scored seven goals in those six games, but the defence has leaked 11 already, which is a worry for anyone connected to this club. It’s far too early to press the panic button, but defeat here would make it about the right time to start thinking about a new approach from the coaches. We could even see a few regulars lose their starting slot.
Sevilla was winless in their first four games this term but eventually got off the mark with a hard-fought but impressive win over Espanyol in a match that produced five goals. They banked all three points thanks to goals from Lamela and a Cormona double; all three scored in the opening half. They require a repeat performance with a stronger defence if they are to have any chance of winning this game. Since beating Espanyol, there has been a goalless draw in the Champions League away to FC Copenhagen and a 1-1 away to Villarreal. This will be Sevilla’s first home match in almost a month.
Madrid lost last time
Atletico Madrid arrives in Seville for this game down in seventh after a slow start to their challenge. They are a side, like their hosts, that started the campaign with the aim of finishing in the top four and securing Champions League football for next term, and after six games played, that remains a possibility. But they must do better, and everyone from the manager to the players and fans knows this. They haven’t been at their best, but if Atletico Madrid can grab a win here, they will find themselves right back in the running.
Their form so far shows three wins against one draw and two defeats with ten goals scored, and six conceded. The 10 points collected means they are three behind Athletic Bilbao and a place in the top four of La Liga, while leaders Real Madrid, who hit the front early and look like they will be tough to budge, are eight points off in the distance. A combination of a poor start for Atletico Madrid and a faultless one for their derby rivals means, if things continue as they are, Atletico could be out of the title picture before the end of this year.
They recently put together a three-match unbeaten run, taking seven points from the nine available. Still, Madrid was beaten in their most recent game, entering the international break on the back of a 2-1 home defeat to Real Madrid. Regardless of their form before that match, losing a derby is never acceptable to Atletico fans, and they will demand a response this weekend. Anything less than 100% commitment could see some supporters lose patience with the players and start to demand changes are made to the line-up.
Sevilla v Atletico Madrid prediction
Will holding the home advantage be enough to secure Sevilla the three points needed to move them up the table? It’s possible and the locals will take confidence from their improved form and the poor recent results of the visitors. If Sevilla scores first and the crowd gets behind them, we could see Madrid retreat into their shell.
The away team are low on confidence but knows they are a better team than they have shown us so far this season. If they can play anywhere near their best, there’s every chance Atletico Madrid will win this game and start to look upwards, tracking down the leaders.
La Liga odds
The pre-match betting odds available to all new and existing customers of 22Bet offer Sevilla at 2.98 for victory while Atletico Madrid is 2.48 and the draw 3.185.