Atlético Madrid return to the Metropolitano on Wednesday under mounting pressure after a frustrating 1-1 draw with Mallorca. Diego Simeone’s men played the final 20 minutes with ten men following Alexander Sørloth’s red card and also missed a penalty, extending a poor run that has left them with just one win from six games across all competitions this season. Currently sitting 12th in La Liga, the pressure is on Atlético to respond against city rivals Rayo Vallecano.
Rayo haven’t fared much better. in fact, Softfootball predicted in the game’s preview that Atletico will end up 2-nil winners. Despite a promising run in the Europa Conference League, they are winless in their last four league outings and face a miserable head-to-head record against Atlético, losing 18 straight meetings since 2013. Even so, they showed resilience by coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Celta Vigo last weekend and will look to frustrate their neighbours again.
Atlético will rely on their impressive home record, with five wins and a draw from their last six La Liga matches at the Metropolitano. Rayo, meanwhile, will need to overturn poor form on the road and hope Álvaro García, their most consistent attacking threat, can deliver.
Atletico Madrid uploaded some training pictures on the club’s official X account taken in preparation for the clash on Wednesday.
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Team News
Atlético are without Sørloth through suspension, while José María Giménez, Álex Baena, Thiago Almada and Johnny Cardoso remain sidelined. Julián Álvarez, who missed a penalty against Mallorca, is expected to feature again. Rayo have no fresh injury concerns.
Possible Lineups
Atlético Madrid (4-4-2): Jan Oblak, Marcos Llorente, Clément Lenglet, Robin Le Normand, David Hancko, Giuliano Simeone, Koke, Pablo Barrios, Nicolás González, Julián Álvarez, Giacomo Raspadori
Rayo Vallecano (4-2-3-1): Augusto Batalla, Andrei Ratiu, Florian Lejeune, Pathé Ciss, Pacha Espino, Jorge De Frutos, Óscar Valentín, Pedro Díaz, Álvaro García, Sergio Camello, Isi Palazón
SoftFootball’s Prediction
Atlético’s home form and Rayo’s dismal head-to-head record suggest Simeone’s men should edge this derby. Expect a tight contest, but the hosts have enough quality to grind out a 2-0 victory.
Great match preview! The insights on both teams current form and key players are super helpful. The predicted 2-0 victory for Atlético Madrid seems plausible given their home advantage.