Atletico to cement Champions League spot with Villarreal win
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Atletico Madrid could all but seal a top-four finish in La Liga on Tuesday night, as they host fifth-place Villarreal at the Vicente Calderon.
Atletico are currently third in the Spanish top-flight table and three points clear of fourth-place Sevilla. Diego Simeone’s side are also 11 points ahead of the visitors in the table, who still have an outside chance of making the Champions League this season.
Atleti are in decent form, having won seven of their eight outings in La Liga. However, with Sevilla nipping at their heels the men from Madrid cannot afford to slip-up against the Yellow Submarine in this clash.
Atletico Madrid have a formidable home record in La Liga in recent years and have suffered just two defeats in 33 league outings at the Calderon.
Their last four home league defeats have come against Spain’s big two, with Barcelona winning three times at the Calderon and Real Madrid winning once. The last team other than Spain’s big two to win at Atletico in La Liga were Villarreal back in 2014.
Villarreal are not only trying to keep alive their slim hopes of a Champions League place, they are also attempting to stave off the challenge of Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao for a Europa League spot.
Fran Escriba’s side have been hard to score against this season in La Liga. In fact, only opponents Atletico have conceded fewer goals in La Liga this season than the visitors. Villarreal’s form on their travels has not been great of late, losing two of their last three away games in La Liga.
This game is likely to be a very tight one between two of the league’s best drilled-teams. The numbers suggest it will be low-scoring. However, Atletico Madrid have the superior attacking options and should record a victory in this one.
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