Atletico Madrid must make up lost ground on defending La Liga champion Barcelona

High-flying Getafe welcomes Atletico Madrid to their Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Pérez home on Saturday afternoon in the fifth round of Spain’s new La Liga campaign. Home side Getafe will be looking to extend their recent unbeaten run to four matches, while Atletico and coach Diego Simeone will hope that this week’s Champions League win away to Monaco will be the timely boost their domestic form so desperately needs.

Getafe vs Atletico Madrid Game Center

Getafe in good form early on

Having finished a highly respectable eighth last season, Getafe has built on that commendable achievement with an excellent start to the new campaign. Having lost to Real Madrid 2-0 on the Sportsbook day, Getafe has since taken seven points from its next three games, keeping three clean sheets in the process. With both defences extremely well organized, this game may well be won by a solitary goal.

There is no denying that Atletico have not been at their efficient best in the Sportsbook weeks of the season. Simeone’s side has won just one of its Sportsbook four games and is down in ninth place with only five points on the board.

Nevertheless, they come into this game as the firm favorites to record their second win of the league season. Atletico is priced at -110 to take the three points back to Madrid while Getafe, despite home advantage and some excellent recent form, is out at +333 to make it three wins from four games. A draw is priced in the middle at +220.

Getafe will be no pushover

However, Getafe’s most recent league result offered ample evidence of their abilities, and gave warning that they are not to be underestimated. The side won 2-0 away to Sevilla thanks to a brace from Angel Diaz, and it is a result which may well make the rest of La Liga sit up and take notice.

While they may not be as technically gifted as Atletico Madrid, there is no longer any doubt that coach José Bordalás has got this side producing on the pitch. While predicting exact scorelines can at times be a thankless task, we think Getafe will extend its recent run of form with a narrow 1-0 win over an out-of-sorts Atletico side, a result which is priced at +750.

Neither side has been involved in a high-scoring affair so far in La Liga, and given the cautious nature of both managers, we are not expecting that to change here. You can back UNDER 2.5 goals in the game at -225, while backing “No” to both teams scoring in the game, at a price of -175, would also look to be a sensible idea.

Worrying form for Atletico could continue

Los Colchoneros have not exactly had a taxing start to the season and their lackluster displays must be a source of concern for Simeone. Defeats away to Celta Vigo before needing an injury time equalizer to rescue a point at home to lowly Eibar are not circumstances we have seen this side in too often, and something must be done to stop the rot.

Their poor results have seen Atletico’s price to win the La Liga crown outright skyrocket to +1400. They are, however, at just -800 to finish in the top four once again, but a marked improvement on the pitch needs to happen sooner rather than later.

Given Getafe’s positive performances, we are not expecting Atletico’s resurrection to happen just yet. You can back Getafe to win to nil (without Atletico scoring a goal) at the competitive price of +550, while the home side also comes in at +175 to win either half.

Their best source for a goal on Saturday would look to be Jaime Mata. The 29-year-old is at +300 to score at any time during the game, while you can back him at +700 to score either the first or last goal of the game.