Atletico Madrid hosts Mallorca on Friday, July 3, 2020, in a battle between a Top 3 side and a Bottom 3 team in the Spanish La Liga.
Heading to July 1’s schedule, Atletico Madrid sits in third place with a total of 59 points. They are seven points ahead of Getafe and eight points clear of Villareal, both of whom have a game in hand. Sevilla meanwhile is two points off Atleti’s pace in fourth place. On the other hand, Mallorca is in trouble as they are in the relegation zone in 18th place with 29 points. Celta Vigo and Alaves, Eibar, and Valladolid are within Mallorca’s sight so it’s not yet over for them.
Atletico Madrid has been in good form since the restart of the season with four wins and two draws in their six matches played so far. They have risen from sixth place to third and they are two points ahead of fourth-place Sevilla and seven ahead of fifth-place Getafe who play at Barcelona on Thursday.
In their last assignment, Atletico Madrid traveled to Camp Nou and walked away with a 2-2 draw. Diego Costa got the home team on board in the 11th minute but Saul tied the game with a penalty eight minutes later. Lionel Messi scored his 700th goal in the 50th minute but Saul netted in the 62nd minute to force the draw.
Alvaro Morata leads Atletico Madrid with a total of 9 goals scored this season. Saul Niguez and Joao Felix each have netted six times this term. Angel Correa leads the team with six assists while also scoring five goals. Koke has five assists and two goals while Kieran Trippier has four assists for Atleti.
Atletico Madrid ranks 2nd in the league in scoring defense with a total of 25 goals scored this season. They are tied for 6th overall with 43 goals scored and they are also ranked 7th in passing with a total of 30 assists on the year. Atleti ranks third in Spain in goal difference at +18.
Mallorca’s success in the playoffs of the Segunda Division last term earned them a spot in the La Liga this year. However, they have found the top flight to be challenging as they have lost 20 of their 33 matches so far this term and picking up just 29 points for 18h place in the La Liga table.
However, Mallorca is coming off a 5-1 home win over fellow relegation candidate Celta Vigo. The hosts raced to a 3-0 lead at the half and never looked back. The win was their first since the restart and they have earned only a total of 4 points since the La Liga season has resumed.
Ante Budimir leads Mallorca with a total of 12 goals scored this year. Dani and Salva Sevilla have found the back of the net five teams each. Takefusa Kubo leads the team with a total of four assists on the year while also scoring three goals. Sevilla and Febas have three assists apiece for Mallorca.
Mallorca is the worst defensive team in the Spanish La Liga with a total of 56 goals conceded, most among the 20 teams this year. They are 14th in goal scoring with a total of 35 goals scored this season. Mallorca is 16th in assists with a total of 18 this term and their goal difference of -21 is 18th in Spain.
Sime Vrsaljko will still be out of action for Atletico Madrid but otherwise, Simeone’s squad is healthy. There could be changes from the lineup that played at Camp Nou the last time out as the likes of Kieran Trippier, Alvaro Morata, and Joao Felix expected to return to the starting XI. Stefan Savic and Koke are also back from suspension while Hector Herrera could feature in the middle.
On the other hand, Mallorca will have to play this match without leading scorer Ante Budimir and center-back Martin Valjent who are suspended for this match due to the yellow cards they picked up in their win versus Celta. Lumor Agbenyenu and Leonardo Koutris are also out due to injury so the visitors head to this contest far from being complete.
These two sides have met in a total of 56 matches and it is Atletico Madrid who has a 26-14-16 advantage in their all-time head to head matchup. Atletico beat Mallorca 2-0 in their reverse fixture held last September 2020.
Atletico Madrid is the third-best home team in Spain with a total of 35 points earned from 10 wins, 5 draws, and one loss. On the other hand, Mallorca is the worst road team in the Spanish La Liga with an away record of 1-2-13, and only five points earned from their matches played away from home.
Mallorca is coming off a morale-boosting win over Celta Vigo but it will be difficult to make it two in a row against an Atletico Madrid side that is in good form. The visitors are also without key players while Atletico is getting some of their mainstays back. I think Simeone’s boys will have a fairly comfortable time here and return to their winning ways at home.
Prediction: Atletico Madrid (-323)
Over 2.5
-120
Under 2.5
+100
Odds from BetOnline as of 07/02/2020
Atletico Madrid has scored in 16 out of their last 17 matches played. Mallorca has conceded a goal in each of their last 33 La Liga away matches. The hosts have won three out of their last seven matches against Mallorca, losing just once, and the teams combined for over 2.5 goals in three of those games. The total has hit over 2.5 goals in three out of Atletico’s last five matches played and at least three goals have been scored in 56% of Mallorca’s away games this season. Lastly, Mallorca is allowing an average of 2.25 goals per away game this season and Atletico Madrid has the third-best goal difference in Spain right now.
Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals (-120)
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