A fantastic La Liga contest is in prospect on Sunday evening as in-form Atletico Madrid host 3rd placed Valencia.
The Rojiblancos have turned on the style since the winter break, winning three and drawing one of the four matches since the La Liga season resumed. The 1-0 win at Osasuna last time out was particularly impressive.
They will not want this run to end any time soon either as they face Valencia at Vicente Calderon. As things stand in La Liga, they are in 7th position and on the up. Only two points separate them from 4th placed Levante and this is a gap they would love to close this weekend.
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The cornerstone to Atletico’s recent success has been their exemplary defence. Incredibly, they haven’t conceded a goal in any of the last four matches, while they have only let in seven goals all season on home soil.
Valencia will be a stern test to this record though. They may not be in the best form at the moment – they haven’t won in their last four – but on more than one occasion this season they have shown their worth as one of the best attacking teams in Spain.
Take the 4-1 hammering of 4th placed Levante in Copa del Rey last month as an example. This Valencia team – led by the excellent Roberto Soldado in attack – can be a threat to anyone on their day.
Looking at the statistics for when these two teams meet, it is worth noting that Atletico have won just three of their last 13 league meetings with Valencia. However, these victories have been in three of the last four matches at the Vicente Calderon.
Overall, this is a tough match to call and it could go either way. Atletico are the team with form on their side, but Valencia should never be written off and they will fancy their chances of picking up their first league win since the week before Christmas.