Valencia and Atlético Madrid meet at the Mestalla Stadium, in a match for the 11th round of LaLiga. In this stadium, the history of direct confrontations is favorable to the visiting team, which registers 2 wins and 3 draws in the last 5 matches. However, the last time these two teams played a match at this stadium was on 02-14-2020, for LaLiga, which ended in a draw (2-2). The goals of the game were scored by Gabriel Paulista (40 ‘) and G. Kondogbia (59’), for Valencia, and T. Partey (43 ‘) and Llorente (15′), for Atlético Madrid. In this game, the home factor may be decisive, since both teams present considerable differences in the results achieved at home and as a visitor.
Valencia :
After 3 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses, the home team is currently in 9th position, with 12 points won. In their last match, they drew with Deportivo Alavés in an away match by (2‑2), after having won (4‑1) at home in the previous match, in a match against Real Madrid. This is a stronger team with the support of its fans, since in the last 30 games it has registered 1 victory, 4 draws and 10 losses as a visitor, with 10 goals scored and 26 suffered; against 9 victories, 3 draws and 3 defeats in their stadium, with 28 goals scored and 19 suffered. For the championship, Valencia won 8 points out of 15 possible, after 2 victories, 2 draws and 1 loss in the last 5 games they played in their stadium. The team allowed goals to the opponent in 9 of the last 10 matches, so it has not presented great defensive strength, but its attack has scored regularly, since it has scored goals in 9 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 10 games in this competition, he only managed 2 comebacks in the 7 games in which he suffered the first goal. There is 1 period that stands out in the last 6 home matches for all competitions: they have scored 4 of their 11 goals between minutes (31’ ‑ 45 ‘).
Valencia comes to this day after a 2×2 draw in the visit to Alavés: Valencia was losing by 2×0, however, in the second half Manu Vallejo and Hugo Guillamón scored the goals of the tie. The home team’s greatest valence lies in the ability it shows to attack through quick transitions. Valencia usually line up in a tactical design at 4-4-2, in which the two most advanced players are Kévin Gameiro and Kang-in Lee. The coach will not be able to count on Maxi Gómez, José Gayá, Mouctar Diakhaby and Jasper Cillessen, due to injury.
Athletic :
The visiting team is currently in 2nd position, with 20 points won, after 6 victories and 2 draws. In the penultimate match, they won at home against Cádiz by (4‑0). In the last match, they won at home against Barcelona by (1‑0). This is a stronger team with the support of its fans, since in the last 30 games it has registered 5 wins, 7 draws and 3 losses as a visitor; against 11 victories and 4 draws in his stadium. In their last match, for the UEFA Champions League, they drew with Lokomotiv Moskva at home by (0‑0). In their last away match, for the UEFA Champions League, they drew (1‑1) against Lokomotiv Moskva. In their last 10 away games, Atlético Madrid has recorded 4 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses. Their defense has been very solid, as they have only conceded goals in 2 of the last 8 matches, and their offense has scored regularly, as they have scored goals in 6 of the last 8 matches for this competition. This is a team that tends to score many times first: it opened the scoring in 6 of its last 8 LaLiga games, of these 6 it reached the half-time advantage in 5 and always managed to maintain the advantage until the end of the 90 ‘.
The team led by Diego Simeone comes to this match after a draw at home, at zero, in the reception to Lokomotiv, for the Champions League. The home team has a very distinctive style of play, in favor of attacks through the central zone and short passes. However, one of Atlético de Madrid’s weaknesses is offside. The attacking duo will be made up of Ángel Correa and João Félix, so the team has little physical presence on the most advanced line. Coach Diego Simeone is expected to have five absences, all due to injury: Diego Costa, Luis Suárez, Héctor Herrera, Lucas Torreira and Sime Vrsaljko.
