On Sunday, February 21, Atletico Madrid hosts Villarreal in a Spanish Primera Division week 25 encounter. The game will be played at the Estadio Vicente Calderon in the city of Madrid and will kick off at 19:30 BST.
The hosts are currently 2nd on the league table, with 54 points from 24 games, while the visitors are in 4th place with 48 points from 24 games.
A win for the Madrid team will see them retain their position on the league table, while a defeat can see them end the match day in 3rd place. The 4th placed team will retain their position on the league table regardless of the outcome of this fixture.
Athletico Madrid doggednessAthletico Madrid continue to defy the odds, keeping leaders Barcelona on their toes, and leading bitter rivals Real Madrid with a solitary point, despite having less resources. They have by far the stingiest defense in the league with only 11 goals conceded, and almost always find a way to eke out results.
The 2014 Champions, managed by Diego Simeone are in indifferent form, with two wins, one draw and two defeats in their last five games in all competitions. Both of their wins were in the league against Eibar (3-1 on February 6), and Getafe (0-1 on February 14).
The Rojiblancos drew their recent league game against Sevilla (0-0 on June 24), but suffered consecutive defeats at the hands of Celta Vigo in the Spanish Cup (2-3 on January 27), and Barcelona in the league (2-1 on January 30).
Villarreal Champions League chaseBarring a calamituous end to the season, Villarreal will qualify for next season’s Champions League by finishing 4th in the league. With an 8 point cushion over nearest rivals Sevilla, their fans can begin to clear their schedule for Tuesday and Wednesday evenings next season.
The Yellow Submarines, managed by Marcelino are in very good form, with three wins, and two draws in their last five games in all competitions. These wins were league victories against Granada (1-0 on January 30), and Malaga (1-0 on February 13). They secured a first leg win in their Europa league tie against Napoli (1-0 on February 18).
Marcelino’s team could however only manage draws in their games against Espanyol (2-2 on January 23), and Athletic Bilbao (0-0 on February 6).
Antoinne Griezmann continues to turn out impressive scoring numbers for the Rojiblancos, and is their top scorer with 12 goals from 24 league appearances. He is as likely as anyone to find the back of the net in this game. Alphonso Areola has kept clean sheet in all of his last four outings, and his manager will be hoping for another shut out against one of the more fancied teams in the league.
This is a top of the table encounter between 2nd and 4th positions, so I expect a keenly contested affair. Atthletico Madrid are however slight favourites due to home advantage. I expect them to act accordingly and secure all three points in this game.