Leganes vs Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid’s La Liga title pursuit continues against relegation-battling Leganes at Estadio Municipal de Butarque.

Leganes’ sensational 1-0 win at Barcelona at the tail-end of 2024 was just a one-off, as they commenced the new calendar year with back-to-back winless league outings (D1, L1), including a thumping 5-1 defeat to Villarreal in their most recent home match. That loss maintained Leganes’ unenviable record against top-half opposition to five consecutive home defeats, four of which came ‘to nil.’ Therefore, conceding first would likely take this game out of the hosts’ reach, especially considering they’ve lost their last three top-flight games via a three-goal margin. Scoring could be easier said than done for Borja Jimenez’s side, as they’ve failed to find the back of the net in three of their four previous home meetings with Atletico Madrid in La Liga. 

It’s not like the visitors packed up punch in that stretch, averaging just 0.5 goals per game (W1, D3). However, Atletico Madrid are arguably the most in-form team in Europe, with a 4-0 rout of second-tier Elche in midweek Copa del Rey action stretching their formidable winning run in all competitions to 15 matches – the club’s best-ever streak! Worryingly for long-serving manager Diego Simeone, his men have stuttered on the road, winning just 50% of their away league matches as favorites (W4, D3, L1). Furthermore, they’ve suffered defeat in two of their last four top-flight encounters against newly promoted sides on hostile turf (W2). Therefore, they’ll seek a flying start despite scoring more goals in the second half in 14 of their 19 league fixtures.