Gattuso vs. Simeone – who screams louder?
If you are a fan of emotional and passionate coaches, then Monday night’s La Liga clash between Valencia and Atletico Madrid is a must-watch! With Gennaro Gattuso and Diego Simeone, two real hot-blooded players will be facing each other on the sidelines. Two hotheads who were already among the toughest dogs in the business when they were professionals and regularly live up to their reputation as coaches in charge.
The upcoming duel will be even more explosive due to the starting position. The Rojiblancos in particular are under some pressure after only one win and one defeat in their first two games. The home side have exactly the same record and yet, according to the odds, the capital club is the favourite in the match between Valencia and Atletico Madrid.
First and foremost, however, there is much to suggest that the spectators present at the Estadio Mestalla will see only a few goals at the end of the third matchday. Both teams have their strengths in defence, certainly due to the coaching characters, which is why many experts’ predictions between Valencia and Atletico Madrid are likely to go in the direction of an under-goal bet. However, there may be options to pick up even more appealing odds, possibly through a combination of different betting markets.
Valencia – Statistics & current form
Gennaro Gattuso has been in charge of Valencia’s sporting side since July this year. The former Italian World Cup winner has been given the goal by the club’s management of returning the traditional club to its former strength, creating a little more internal calm and, at best, qualifying for the European Cup. All three endeavours, however, combine a high degree of complexity, especially for a club that has mostly made negative headlines in the recent past, both on and off the pitch.
The start of the season was also average at best. On the first day of the season, promoted Girona were brought to their knees 1-0 as expected after a lacklustre performance, but the previous week they suffered a deserved 1-0 defeat at home to the Basques in Bilbao. In the entire match, the bats did not fire a single shot at the opponent’s goal. Consequently, coach Gattuso came down hard on his team afterwards.
Valencia already without punch at home in pre-season
On Monday night, the passionate coach will want to see a reaction and at best bag their second win in their second home game. However, if we look at the odds between Valencia and Athletic Bilbao, it becomes clear that the betting providers with a German licence see the home side as underdogs. That, in turn, is certainly due to the fact that the Blanquinegros have recently lacked the necessary power and have not been convincing in any way in the first 180 minutes of the game.
To make matters worse, only six of their 19 home games last season were victorious (eight draws, five defeats). Against a good defensive team, the hosts could therefore once again cut their teeth. We would definitely refrain from betting on the Gattuso team before the match between Valencia and Atletico Madrid. We think a home defeat is more likely than a point for the white and black team. Gaya, Comert and Duro are suspended and injured respectively.
Predicted line-up of Valencia:
Mamardashvili; Correia, Paulista, Diakhaby, Vazquez; Musah, Guillamon, Soler; Castillejo, Duro, Lino
Last matches played by Valencia:
La Liga
21/08/2022 – Athletic Bilbao 1 – 0 Valencia
15/08/2022 – Valencia 1 – 0 Girona
Club friendlies
07/08/2022 – Valencia 2 – 1 Atalanta Bergamo
04/08/2022 – Castellon 1 – 0 Valencia
30/07/2022 – Nottingham Forest 1 – 1 Valencia
Atletico Madrid – Statistics & current form
Whoever has seen the quite successful documentary about Diego Simeone knows how much “El Cholo” suffers after a defeat. Last weekend’s 0:2 defeat against Villarreal must have hurt in two ways.
Firstly, because the “Colchoneros” lost in front of their home crowd. Secondly, because it was against a direct competitor for the top four places. The two goals conceded were also a clear indication for the Argentine defensive fanatic that this encounter needed to be critically reviewed.
How stable is a three-man backline with Witsel as the centre IV?
Because it has been rare for the Rojiblancos to lose two consecutive matches across competitions in the past and they have usually shown the appropriate response, our first idea is to consider a double chance X2 prediction between Valencia and Atletico Madrid. We do not believe in another defeat for the CL participants, although it must be mentioned for the sake of completeness that seven games were lost away from home in 2021/22. On the other hand, only Real Madrid celebrated more victories as a visiting team than their city rivals Atletico.
We assume that Simeone’s team will once again concentrate on a defensive approach. Admittedly, the Madrid side will also have to be compact, because with the skilled six-man Axel Witsel as the central part of the three-man chain, the defence of the deep runs could become a sticking point. But because Atletico traditionally allow few counter-attacks, we are convinced that this time, too, there will be a maximum of two goals in the course of the game. The injured Stefan Savic and the suspended Nahuel Molina are not in the team. He could be replaced by Carrasco on the right. Saul Niguez would then start on the left.
Predicted line-up of Atletico Madrid:
Oblak; Gimenez, Witsel, Reinildo; Carrasco, Llorente, Koke, Lemar, Saul; Morata, Felix
Last matches played by Atletico Madrid:
La Liga
22/08/2022 – Atletico Madrid 0 – 2 FC Villarreal
16/08/2022 – Getafe 0 – 3 Atletico Madrid
Club friendlies
07/08/2022 – Juventus FC 0 – 4 Atletico Madrid
05/08/2022 – Cadiz 1 – 4 Atletico Madrid
30/07/2022 – Manchester United 0 – 1 Atletico Madrid
Valencia – Atletico Madrid Direct comparison / H2H balance
A whopping 15 goals have been scored in the last three La Liga duels between these clubs. However, Gattuso and Simeone have also never faced each other on the touchline. With this in mind, we would be cautious to bet on a high number of goals again.
A second important point is that Atletico have not lost any of their last 15 (!) meetings in the Spanish top flight against the bats. Their last win dates back to 2014. In 2021/22, Atletico won 3-2 at home, but had to settle for a 3-3 draw at the Estadio Mestalla. Four of the Colchoneros’ most recent five visits to the former CL finalists have thus ended in draws.
Valencia – Atletico Madrid Tip
We are in for a real treat on Monday night in the final match of matchday three in Spanish La Liga. At least if you are a fan of cultivated impulsiveness and irascibility. Gattuso vs. Simeone.
Regardless, we can expect an even and certainly contested match. Between Valencia and Atletico Madrid, the betting odds are narrowly in favour of the capital, who, like the hosts, have one win and one defeat to their name after two games.
However, it should not be forgotten that the Colchoneros have not lost any of their last 15 league encounters against the bats and, what’s more, they face an opponent who did not even manage to win a third of all home games last year.
We have therefore decided to tip the X2 & Under 2.5 between Valencia and Atletico Madrid.
