Despite a shaky start to their league campaign, Atletico Madrid are priced as short as 1.25 to get back to winning ways at the Metropolitano on Saturday evening. Elche are massive underdogs at 15.0 to cause an upset.

• Atletico Madrid had a +27 goal difference at home last season in La Liga

• Elche scored just 22 goals from 21 away matches in La Liga 2 last season.

• Elche had an average of just 1.38 points per away game in the Spanish division last season, compared to 2.29 at home. 

🔴 Normal Service to Resume at the Metropolitano

Atletico Madrid were nowhere near their best against Espanyol in gameweek one, although a loss was a harsh result. After taking a first-half lead through a wonderful Julian Alvarez free-kick, Atleti uncharacteristically conceded from a set-piece, before Pere Milla scored an unbelievable header worth just 0.02 xG.

Alex Baena looked sharp in the final third on his debut, registering four key passes including one big chance created, but to no avail. Julian Alvarez had five shots in total, with three on target and one hitting the post - on another day he could have had several goals.

Atletico Madrid performed much better in front of a home support last season, managing 14 wins in the league compared to just eight on the road - in fact, only Real Madrid picked up more points at home last season. After their summer spending spree, Atleti will know the importance of winning this game convincingly, especially against a newly-promoted side.

🟢 Los Franjiverdes Toothless in Attack

Given the significant personnel changes that Elche have had to deal with over the summer, it comes as no surprise that they struggled in the final third against Real Betis. The departures of Nicolas Fernandez and Nicolas Castro have been particularly damaging, as both midfielders played crucial roles under Eder Sarabia last season. The duo combined for ten league goals last term, so their absence has massively hindered Elche going forward.

Agustin Alvarez’s return to Sassuolo following his loan spell is another major setback, as the Uruguayan international added eight goals from 37 appearances last season. Elche have turned to Alvaro Rodriguez to fill the goal-scoring void, brought in on loan from Real Madrid. However, the 21-year-old’s track record raises doubts, having scored just three goals in 26 appearances for Getafe last season. Without adequate replacements, Sarabia’s side may face real struggles sustaining the same attacking threat that secured their La Liga return.

📊 Atletico Madrid v Elche H2H

There was a massive gulf in quality when these sides met in the Copa del Rey back in January, as Atletico Madrid cruised to a 4-0 win. It comes as no surprise that Atleti have had the upper hand against Elche over the years, winning eight of the last ten head-to-head encounters, keeping a clean sheet in seven of those.

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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.