Best Odds: 7/10
Bookmaker:
Two sides who find themselves battling it out at opposite ends of the La Liga table, Atletico Madrid will travel to the Nuevo Los Carmenes on Monday night when they meet Granada.
Granada
Starting with the hosts, while Granada might have opened the New Year with a crucial 2-0 victory at home against Cadiz, it appears that result might have just been a minor boost for Alexander Medina s downbeat squad. Making an immediate return to losing ways last week as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Real Betis, the Nasrids find themselves at the heart of a relegation scrap and open this weekend’s fixtures sat five points adrift of finding a route out of the drop zone. Collecting just 11 points from their 20 La Liga appearances this season and tipped as a standout contender to be hit with an immediate Segunda return in 2024, Medina’s side have also recorded just a single domestic victory across any competition since a 3-2 victory against Mallorca way back on August 26th.
Team News
Dealing with a string of injury issues this season and making just a single appearance since the middle of September, Granada are once again expected to be without the services of veteran goalkeeper Raul Fernandez on Monday night.
Although Mytro Uzuni might have notched just a single goal in any of his previous six domestic outings, the Albania international will have a leading role to play here. 21-year-old Matias Arezo could replace former Napoli ace Jose Callejon.
Atletico Madrid
As for the visitors, punching their Copa del Rey semi-final ticket earlier in the week as they eventually secured a 4-2 victory against bitter local rivals Real Madrid, Atletico will now be desperate to find some crucial stability. However, crashing out of the Spanish Super Cup last week following a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Los Blancos, Diego Simeone’s side have won just a trio of their previous seven appearances across all competitions. Opening this weekend’s fixtures sat outside the top-four and with plenty of pressure on their shoulders, Monday’s guests should at least be smelling a golden opportunity here. Although Atletico might have continued to show some extended defensive issues, they will be excited by their reverse meeting against Granada. Landing a 3-1 romp when they welcomed the relegation scrappers to town on August 14th, Simeone will be calling on a repeat performance here.
Team News
Both still dealing with respective long-term injury issues, Atletico will be without the duo of Thomas Lemar and veteran midfielder Vitolo. However, although 20-year-old Pablo Barrios might have returned from a knee injury in midweek, the Spanish U21 international will have to settle for a spot on the bench.
Bagging 18 goals across all competitions this season and breaking plenty of Atletico records, French superstar Antoine Griezmann will be looking to extend on his domestic flurry here. The ex-Barcelona ace will be joined in the final third by Spanish skipper Alvaro Morata on Monday night.
Key Factors to Consider
