Atletico Madrid v Girona

Atletico Madrid vs Girona Preview

Atletico Madrid had to make do with just a point in last weekend's opening game of the Spanish top flight season when they were held to a 2-2 draw away from home at Villarreal but the hosts return to their Estádio Cívitas Metropolitano for this upcoming clash against last season's surprise package, Girona, who were also involved in a stalemate last weekend following a 1-1 draw on the road at Real Betis.

Atletico Madrid's usual third place finish in the La Liga pecking order was disrupted by Girona who claimed the third place spot at the end of last season but nevertheless, both teams secured a spot in this season's Champions League as Atletico Madrid finished in fourth place thanks to slipping to just two defeats in their final nine games of the season.

Losses to the likes of Alaves and Osasuna were outweighed by Atletico Madrid picking up seven wins in the process and in the end the hosts finished some eight points ahead of fifth placed Athletic Bilbao.

Three of Atletico Madrid's aforementioned seven wins were achieved on home soil at their Estádio Cívitas Metropolitano with victories gained over Girona, Athletic Bilbao and Celta Vigo respectively and results overall in their own backyard have been very impressive indeed, losing just twice in their last 30 home games and collecting no fewer than a total of 26 victories along the way.

At one stage, Girona looked to be heading for the La Liga title and producing one of the biggest shocks in Spanish top flight history as the surprise package had slipped to just one defeat in their opening 23 games of last season's campaign whilst picking up 17 wins in the process.

However, it only seemed to be a matter of time before Girona would run out of gas and with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona eagerly waiting in the wings for any slip-ups, this proved to be the case as the visitors slumped to five defeats within their subsequent eight games which not only allowed the Spanish giants to catch up to Girona but ultimately overtake them.

Nevertheless, Girona recovered by slipping to just one further defeat in their final seven games overall which came in the form of a 1-0 loss at home to Villarreal but also included important wins against Cadiz, Las Palmas, a 4-2 win against Barcelona, 3-1 against Valencia and a 7-0 humiliation of Granada which sealed their place in this season's Champions League and produced their best ever finish in the domestic top flight as well.

Atletico Madrid v Girona Verdict

Atletico Madrid have had the wood over Girona in previous exchanges as the hosts have won four of the last five encounters and another home win looks to be on the cards on Sunday as well.

Therefore, our main bet will be Atletico Madrid win @ 1.60

Other side bets worth considering:

Atletico Madrid win & Under 2.5 goals @ 4.50

Correct Score: Atletico Madrid 2-0 @ 8.50