Following a mixed bag of three consecutive away matches, Atlético de Madrid return home to the Metropolitano to square off against Valencia in a 2 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.
Atlético (9-4-3, 31 points) return to the capital after a gritty midweek Champions League victory, and the Rojiblancos to regain their league form following back-to-back away defeats to Barcelona and Athletic Club. This is a match Atlético cannot afford to let slip, as the gap to league leaders Barcelona has stretched to nine points,
and an in-form Espanyol side suddenly sit just four points behind with a game in hand.
Although Los Colchoneros came away with a win on Tuesday, the match could have ended in a draw as they struggled to the finish line. Coupled with those disappointing outings in Catalunya and the Basque Country, Atlético now find themselves in a mini-slump as the 2025 calendar winds down. A strong performance against a struggling foe, one that has not posed much of a challenge for the home side in recent years, could be exactly what’s needed as Atlético try to get back on track and finish the year on a winning streak.
Valencia (3-6-6, 15 points) will be looking to defy the odds on their trip to Madrid. Los Blanquinegros have won just one of their past 10 LaLiga matches and have not earned a victory at the Metropolitano since the stadium opened in 2017.
It has not been an ideal season for Carlos Corberán and Valencia. Conceding goals has been a persistent weakness for the side, and this issue will be compounded by the suspension of César Tárrega for yellow-card accumulation during last weekend’s 1-1 home draw with Sevilla.
There is at least some positive news for Los Che with Mouctar Diakhaby returning to training over the past few days. The club will need to rely on him heavily in Tárrega’s absence; the sale of Cristhian Mosquera to Arsenal last summer reduced the defensive talent available to Corberán.
One bright spot in an otherwise difficult campaign has been the form of Hugo Duro. The Spanish international has scored five goals, one of which was a marvelous bicycle kick to win El Derby del Turia against Levante.
Team news
Expect Los Colchoneros to be without the services of Álex Baena, Marcos Llorente, and José María Giménez on Saturday. One returning name on the team sheet is Clément Lenglet, who rejoined full training on Thursday morning. Johnny Cardoso will also be available for selection after be picked up an injury early in the match against Barcelona and missed the fixtures against Athletic Club and PSV Eindhoven.
Atlético’s midweek Champions League win made it clear that Alexander Sørloth’s form, and his connection with Julián Alvarez, is crucial to both players creating and capitalizing on scoring opportunities.
Possible 11: Oblak; Molina, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Koke, Barrios, Nico, Giuliano; Alvarez, Sørloth.
Historical matchup
Atlético de Madrid hold a 67-45-58 all-time record against Valencia in LaLiga. In their last 10 league meetings, Atlético have posted an 8-1-1 record against Los Murciélagos. Valencia last won away to Atlético in February 2011 at the Vicente Calderón, where the late José Antonio Reyes scored the lone goal in a 2-1 defeat.
The most recent clash between the two clubs was a 3-0 Atleti win at the Mestalla, highlighted by an Álvarez brace and a late goal from Ángel Correa. Historically, Luis Aragonés has scored the most goals against Valencia with 11, and Antoine Griezmann is close behind with nine to his name.
Notable players who have represented both clubs
Several players have turned out for Valencia and Atlético in their careers, and there have been a number of deals completed between the clubs since Peter Lim purchased Los Che in 2014.
- David Villa
- Samuel Lino
- Rodrigo De Paul (whose $17m sale to Inter Miami is now official)
- Geoffrey Kondogbia
- Kévin Gameiro
- Mario Suárez
- Éver Banega
- Miguel Ángel Moyá
- Luciano Vietto
