Atletico Madrid Keeps Trophy Dreams Alive Ahead of Celta Vigo Test

Atletico Madrid took advantage of the errors committed by both Real Madrid and Barcelona, to claim the first place in La Liga. The rivals are still within striking distance and that’s why Atletico needs to step up its game and claim all three points against Celta Vigo. They face a team that lost back-to-back games and failed to score in any of these consecutive defeats.

Atletico Madrid Relies on Stellar Defensive

The visitors are not leading the Spanish first flight by chance and the formidable backline is at the cornerstone of their success. Simeone has no reason to change anything in its starting formation, especially now when Gabi returns after spending the two game suspension. Even without him, the team won two games in a row and denied opponents a chance to score.

Atletico Madrid has a busy schedule ahead, with Copa Del Rey fixtures and a couple of difficult championship games before the Champions League resumes. It all culminates with the derby against Barcelona in the final day of January, a match that will decide the leader. That promises to be the ultimate defensive test and Madrid will need its best defensive players on the pitch.

Luck Deserts Celta Vigo

Pundits were struggling to understand Celta Vigo’s recipe for success after the team came out firing on all cylinders early this season. Looking back, it’s obvious that they got lucky quite often and claimed a bunch of narrow margin victories, including a recent spell in December.

Athletic Bilbao and Malaga scored early against them and managed to defend those narrow margin leads, eventually stopping them in their tracks. Atletico Madrid is better at defending than both these teams, so it’s worth backing them at odds of 4/5 at bet365 Sports to win the third game in a row at the expense of Celta Vigo.