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Eibar logo
La Liga | Gameweek 19
Jan 21, 2021 at 8.30pm UK
Ipurua Municipal Stadium
Atletico Madrid logo

Eibar
1 - 2
Atletico

Dmitrovic (12' pen.)
Arbilla (82'), Kike (90+1'), Pozo (90+4')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Suarez (40', 89' pen.)
Felipe (62'), Savic (90+1')

Preview: Eibar vs. Atletico Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Thursday's La Liga clash between Eibar and Atletico Madrid, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Leaders Atletico Madrid return to action on Thursday evening looking to record their sixth successive victory in Spain's top flight.

Meanwhile, Eibar play host to the La Liga pacesetters sitting three points outside of the relegation zone, a result of losing three of their last five games.


Match preview

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone pictured in January 2021© Reuters

The shock Copa del Rey defeat at Cornella had the potential to derail Atletico's efforts on the La Liga scene, particularly after previous scrappy wins over Getafe and Alaves.

However, Diego Simeone will feel confident that the disappointment from that fixture has disappeared after the 2-0 victory over Sevilla six days later.

Atletico rose to the occasion against opponents who could still challenge for a top-three spot come the end of the campaign, their goals coming from Angel Correa and Saul Niguez at either end of the game.

While still possessing two matches in hand on Real Madrid and Barcelona, Simeone knows that his players have to be ruthless in their search for points if they wish to remain ahead of their improving title rivals.

Conceding just six league goals all season is responsible for putting Atletico in their current position, but Simeone needs more from an attack which has not scored more than twice in a game for a month.

From Eibar's perspective, a meeting with the league leaders could not have come at a worse time after their exit to Navalcarnero in the Copa del Rey.

Jose Luis Mendilibar expected his players to deliver a professional display having been taken to extra time in a seven-goal thriller by Las Rozas 10 days earlier.

However, just like they did in their previous game against lower-league opposition, Eibar conceded three goals to a team they should have dispatched with minimal fuss.

Eight goals have now been shipped in the three matches since their 2-0 win over Granada, leaving Eibar to find something extra if they wish to be competitive in their upcoming fixtures.

Nevertheless, Los Armeros have troubled Real and Barcelona over the past month, something which will not be lost on both sides heading into this contest.

Eibar La Liga form: DLLDWL
Eibar form (all competitions): LDWWLL

Atletico Madrid La Liga form: LWWWWW
Atletico Madrid form (all competitions): WWWWLW


Team News

Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier pictured in December 2020© Reuters

Atletico must do without Kieran Trippier and Koke, who are both suspended for this contest.

Although Valencia are to come on Sunday, Simeone is expected to name his strongest possible side for this game.

Moussa Dembele, who has arrived from Lyon, will only be considered for a place on the substitutes' bench.

Eibar are hoping that Bryan Gil overcomes a knock to feature on the left-hand side of midfield.

Yoshinori Muto is in contention for a starting spot after his goal in the Copa del Rey.

Eibar possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Pozo, Oliveira, Bigas, Arbilla; Inui, Diop, Exposito, Gil; Enrich, Garcia

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Savic, Gimenez, Felipe; Vrsaljko, Saul, Llorente, Carrasco; Correa, Suarez, Felix


SM words green background

We say: Eibar 0-2 Atletico Madrid

Under pressure from the chasing pack, Atletico know that they can ill-afford any slip-ups if they wish to retain their advantage. However, the extra pressure could benefit Simeone's men, and we expect a relatively comfortable win for the visitors on Thursday night.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



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Written by
Darren Plant

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Atletico Madrid win with a probability of 56.52%. A draw had a probability of 25.3% and a win for Eibar had a probability of 18.15%.

The most likely scoreline for an Atletico Madrid win was 0-1 with a probability of 15.23%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (11.94%) and 1-2 (9.12%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.63%), while for a Eibar win it was 1-0 (7.42%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 9.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Atletico Madrid would win this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Eibar vs Atletico

Eibar
18.8%
Draw
11.9%
Atletico Madrid
69.3%
101
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona17122350193138
2Real Madrid16113234132136
3Atletico MadridAtletico16105130111935
4Athletic Bilbao1795326151132
5Villarreal157532725226
6Real Sociedad167361611524
7Osasuna166642225-324
8Mallorca177371620-424
9GironaGirona166462223-122
10Celta Vigo166372527-221
11Real BetisBetis165651820-221
12Rayo Vallecano155461516-119
13Sevilla165471723-619
14Las PalmasLas Palmas165382227-518
15Getafe163761113-216
16AlavesAlaves164391827-915
17Leganes163671423-915
18Espanyol1541101528-1313
19Valencia142481322-910
20Real ValladolidValladolid1623111134-239


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