Leganes vs Atletico Madrid Best Bet: Betting Preview

There’s mid-afternoon La Liga action involving the league leaders, and our expert Nathan Joyes has provided his Leganes vs Atletico Madrid Best Bet, team news, lineups and fixtures preview.

Having won their last five matches, Atletico Madrid sit one point clear heading into round 20, and are very much title contenders approaching the second half of the season. Diego Simeone’s side, in his true style of play, have conceded just two goals in their last five across all competitions.

The same can’t be said for Leganes, who sit just three points above the relegation zone. With five points from their last five matches, which includes their shock win against Barcelona, a lack of consistency continues to be the hosts issue this campaign.

Leganes vs Atletico Madrid Best Bet 1: Visitors to deliver professional performance

Spain, La Liga, Saturday, January 18th, 15:30 (UK)

While Barcelona and Real Madrid were battling it out for the Super Cup in Saudi, Atletico Madrid continued to pick up the points and finished round 19 in first place. It’s now 14 wins in a row for Diego Simeone’s side across all competitions, eight in La Liga, which included a 2-1 win over Barcelona.

Within those 14 wins, Atletico have collected eight clean sheets, and they’ve recently been boosted by the return of centre-back Robin Le Normand who has started the last two matches which have finished 1-0 in favour of the league leaders.

Up front, Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann’s relationship has continued to blossom, while Alexander Sorloth continues to prove himself as one of the best impact substitutes in the league. Everything is clicking for Atletico this campaign, who have been the perfect model of consistency as they look to secure their first title since 2014.

In the past, these have been the kind of games where Atletico have slipped up, and although Leganes beat Barcelona on their own patch, results have been hit and miss all season – and they have visible weaknesses the visitors can exploit.

Leganes head into this fixture having lost their last three home matches. Not only have they failed to pick up any points, they’ve also conceded 11 goals in the process against Real Madrid, Real Sociedad and Villarreal.

Although expected to lose against Real Madrid (3-0), the manner of their defeats against Real Sociedad (3-0) and Villarreal (5-2) were concerning. A lack of discipline against the latter saw them finish with nine men, while all three clubs mentioned easily carved open Leganes’ defence.

None of the three had to get out of second gear in order to cut through the hosts, and the fact it has happened three matches in a row is a concern. Atletico Madrid have a patchy record at Estadio Municipal de Butarque, winning two by a single goal margin and drawing the other three, but on this occasion do arrive in their best form in years, while their opponents are all over the place.

With a lack of structure and organisation, this presents another opportunity for Atletico to continue their fine run of form. Admittedly, the league leaders have been winning narrowly, but their sheer number of clean sheets makes the Asian Handicap line very appealing.

There’s a different feel about the visitors this season, and with Leganes struggling in front of their own fans, a professional performance can hopefully land us a good looking price on Saturday afternoon.

• Leganes vs Atletico Madrid Best Bet 1: Atletico Madrid -1 Asian Handicap
• Best Odds: 1.83
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 7/10

Leganes vs Atletico Madrid Best Bet odds via bet365 as at 10:30, January 15th, 2025. Odds may now differ.

Leganes vs Atletico Madrid Injuries, Team News and Possible Lineups

One of the main reasons for my sheer confidence in Atletico Madrid is their lack of injuries. Although Jose Gimenez has missed the last couple of games, Le Normand has returned to fill the gap, allowing Atletico’s rhythm to remain undisturbed.

Their attacking trio: Sorloth (8), Griezmann (7) and Alvarez (6) have all worked incredibly well in different duos this campaign, and Leganes may struggle to keep all three quiet across the 90 minutes.

The hosts welcome back Jorge Saenz and Oscar Rodriguez after they were sent off against Villarreal, although second choice goalkeeper Juan Soriano will miss out after he was sent off against Espanyol despite not taking to the field.

Top goalscorer Juan Cruz (4) will likely lead the line, but the Spaniard hasn’t scored in eight matches and against Atletico’s defence that has only conceded 12, that looks highly unlikely to change.

Leganes possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Cruz, Nastasic, Poirrier, Tapia, Rosier, Brasanac, Cisse, Neyou, Raba, Cruz

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Galan, Lenglet, Le Normand, Molina, Gallagher, Barrios, de Paul, Simeone, Griezmann, Alvarez

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