Atletico Madrid travel to La Mestalla today to take on Valencia in La Liga. The home side will be extremely confident going into this match against the defending champions as they currently sit in second place behind Barcelona. Although there have been many changes at Atletico Madrid this offseason one thing remains the same: Diego Simeone. Fresh off of a Champions League final, Atleti did not get off to the greatest of starts in this year’s campaign, but they have shutout their last three opponents in all competitions and are level on points with the hosts in the league table.
This season has seen the emergence of a new star and it’s Valencia’s Paco Alcacer who is off to a sensational start having found the back of the net four times already in six appearances. He has really given the whole team a lift, as last season Valencia were not very great and as a result did not end up in a position for any European football. This too may also be a huge factor in this match. Valencia are definitely the fesher of the two sides, as Atleti fought to a 1-0 victory over the Italian champions Juventus midweek - so fatigue may be a factor.
We all know how Atletico play by now; it’s nothing new. Diego Simeone’s side will be dominate the physical nature of the play and try to outmuscle the opposition down the middle of the pitch. They lost Diego Costa this offseason as he signed for the English Premier League club Chelsea, but got a very fine replacement in Mario Mandzukic. He only has one goal in four appearances so far, but is slowly finding his grove with his new side.
It will be a close encounter with two very different, but very strong sides. Atletico will definitely try to bully them all around the pitch. Valencia, however, are a very technically gifted side that will use their skill to their advantage to get out of tight situations if they are pressured down either flank on the ball. It is early in the season still, but a win for either side will definitely be a boost towards the end of the season as the two sides certainly have different expectations among them.