Atletico Madrid take on the visitors Betis in the round 23 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Sunday, February 8th at Metropolitano Stadium (Madrid).
Atletico want to position themselves as a force equal to Real and Barcelona. They do consistently represent Spain in the Champions League with solid results, and even if they were not spectacular this time, they still reached the playoffs quite confidently. On the other hand, in January they immediately lost to their city rivals in the Super Cup. Moreover, in La Liga the scenario of the season before last may repeat itself, but now the rival for the familiar third place is not the surprise package Girona, but the experienced Villarreal. In the previous round they also dropped points against Levante, finishing with a goalless draw. However, this week against the same opponent from Seville, but in the cup, everything finally clicked, and they only calmed down after pushing the score to a crushing 5–0. Such a convincing cup win clearly boosted confidence and underlined their attacking potential. At the same time, recent league results show that Atletico still need to improve consistency to avoid slipping further in the standings.
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Betis are generally performing at a solid level. The Green and Whites can be considered a classic example of a well-organized, coach-driven team. Pellegrini has held the managerial position for a long time and with notable stability, even winning the Copa del Rey. This season they also reached another cup clash with the Madrid side this week. They could have added another trophy last spring, but in the Conference League final against Chelsea they failed to deliver. Now the Spaniards have moved to the Europa League, where they confirmed their level by comfortably securing direct qualification to the playoffs. In La Liga, Betis largely remain at their usual level, staying in the European qualification zone, but their form is uneven. After beating Villarreal, they then lost to Alaves, although in the latest round they returned to winning ways with a 2–1 victory over Valencia. Recent results suggest Betis can quickly rebound after setbacks. However, their inconsistency away from home continues to limit their overall ambitions.
The Cholo team have won 7 of the last 9 head-to-head meetings, with only one defeat in that span. It is unlikely that anything will change dramatically in this matchup within a few days. The hosts should once again secure a comfortable victory, so the pick is Atletico with a handicap of -1.0 goals.
Prediction for the match: Atletico Madrid to win with -1.0 handicap.
