Valencia vs Atletico – News and Probable Lineups

Atletico Madrid will seek their second consecutive victory in Spain’s top division when they return to action against Valencia on Saturday afternoon.

Currently, Diego Simeone’s team occupies the fourth spot in La Liga, holding a 10-point advantage over fifth-placed Real Betis, while Valencia sits in 12th place, being five points clear of the relegation zone.

Match overview

Valencia’s recent 2-1 victory against Girona was significant, allowing them to pull five points ahead of the relegation zone with only five matches remaining.

Los Che are just three points behind ninth-placed Osasuna, suggesting they should focus on climbing the table rather than worrying about relegation; however, consistency has been an ongoing challenge throughout the season.

With a record of 10 wins, nine draws, and 14 losses from 33 games, Carlos Corberan’s team sits 12th and has accumulated 26 points at home during the 2025-26 season.

Historically, Valencia has faced Atletico on 200 occasions, achieving 66 victories against the Madrid giants, although Simeone’s squad has won the last four matches.

The fact this fixture occurs between Atletico’s Champions League semi-final against Arsenal could work in Valencia’s favor, as the Red and Whites might be distracted.

Atletico managed to equalize with Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night, with Julian Alvarez converting a penalty early in the second half after Viktor Gyokeres had also scored from the spot.

The Red and Whites aim to reach the final against either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain. However, their performance in the league has been affected by their European campaign, as they have lost three of their last four matches in Spain’s top tier.

In fact, Simeone’s team has suffered seven defeats in their last 10 outings across all competitions, yet they remain reasonably secure in the top four of La Liga, sitting fourth and 10 points above Real Betis with five games left to play.

The latter stages of the season could hinge on their Champions League performance, particularly with an intriguing second leg set for next week at the Emirates Stadium.

Atletico, who triumphed over Athletic Bilbao 3-2 in their last league match, have only claimed four wins from 16 away fixtures in the 2025-26 season, gathering 17 points in total.

Valencia La Liga form:

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Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

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Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

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Team News

Valencia will be missing Mouctar Diakhaby, Dimitri Foulquier, Copete, and Thierry Correia for this weekend’s match due to injuries, while Julen Agirrezabala remains doubtful.

Filip Ugrinic impressed as a substitute against Girona and is expected to earn a place in the starting line-up.

Hugo Duro also seeks a place in the starting XI, but Umar Sadiq, who has scored twice in his last two matches, is likely to continue leading the attack.

For Atletico, Simeone is anticipated to make significant alterations to his starting team ahead of the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Arsenal next week.

Pablo Barrios and Nico Gonzalez will miss the match due to injuries, while Jose Gimenez’s status is uncertain; Giuliano Simeone and Julian Alvarez were both substituted against Arsenal and will likely be rested.

It is possible that there will be a complete overhaul from the match with Arsenal, with Alexander Sorloth potentially starting in the middle after scoring 19 goals in all competitions this season—he was an unused substitute against the Premier League leaders.

Valencia probable starting XI:

Dimitriexi; Nunez, Pepelu, Tarrega, Gaya; Urginic, War; Rioja, Beltran, Ramazani; Sadiq

Atletico Madrid probable starting XI:

Musso; Bonar, Le Normand, Lenglet, Diaz; Mendoza, Vargas; Molina, Baena, Almada; Sorloth

Simeone is expected to implement substantial changes to his Atletico side on Saturday, and we anticipate Valencia will secure all three points at Mestalla as they strive to climb the league table.