The Matchday 29 clash in La Liga between Espanyol and Atletico Madrid will take place on March 29 at the Cornella-El Prat Stadium in Barcelona. Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Espanyol
Manolo Gonzalez's side suffered a 1-2 defeat away to Mallorca in the last round. Prior to this, the Catalans were unbeaten in three consecutive La Liga matches (1 win and 2 draws). Interestingly, the club has not conceded more than two goals in 12 of their last 14 league games. Espanyol remains in 15th place in the standings, just one point ahead of the nearest relegation zone rival.
- Both teams have scored in 7 of Espanyol's last 9 La Liga games.
- Espanyol opened the scoring in 8 of their previous 9 La Liga matches.
- The club is unbeaten in eight consecutive home league matches (3 wins and 5 draws).
Predicted lineup for Espanyol (4-4-2)
Joan Garcia – Omar El Hilali, Leandro Cabrera, Carlos Romero, Marash Kumbulla – Jofre Carreras, Urko Gonzalez, Alex Kral, Edu Exposito – Javi Puado, Roberto Fernandez Jaen.
Atletico Madrid
The Madrid side approaches the upcoming match with two consecutive league defeats. They first lost 1-2 away to Getafe, then suffered a 2-4 defeat at home to Barcelona. Interestingly, Diego Simeone's side last experienced two consecutive league losses exactly a year ago. Due to this unfortunate streak, the club has fallen four points behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, it's worth noting that the team remains the best in La Liga defensively, having conceded just 22 goals.
- At least two goals have been scored in 7 of Atletico's last 8 La Liga matches.
- The club opened the scoring in 6 of their last 7 league games.
- The Madrid side has not conceded in the first half of their last seven La Liga matches.
Predicted lineup for Atletico Madrid (3-4-3)
Jan Oblak – Reinildo Mandava, Clement Lenglet, Robin Le Normand – Marcos Llorente, Rodrigo De Paul, Samuel Lino, Pablo Barrios – Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez, Giuliano Simeone.
Forward Angel Correa will miss the match due to a 5-match suspension.
Referee
Javier Alberola Rojas (Spain)
Matches – 14 (Segunda, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 44;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.1;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 27;
Penalties – 36%.
Match Prediction: Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid
In the next four La Liga rounds, Atletico will face opponents ranked below ninth in the standings. There is a good opportunity to close the gap on the league's top two teams. Diego Simeone will be urging his side to aim for maximum results in these matches. However, do not expect a convincing victory from Atletico, as they have only won one of their last five away La Liga games by a margin of two or more goals, and have also lost to Leganes and Getafe.
Beating the Catalans on their home turf will be very challenging. Espanyol is unbeaten in eight consecutive home matches in La Liga, and has not lost by a margin of two or more goals in 15 of their last 16 home league games. Additionally, in the last six head-to-head encounters at Cornella-El Prat, the Catalans have lost to the Madrid side only twice, and both by a single goal.
My prediction: Espanyol with a handicap (+1)
