Arenteiro vs Atletico Madrid predictions and match preview for Thursday’s Copa del Rey fixture. Read on for analysis ahead of Atleti’s trip to Galicia.
| Date | Thursday 22nd December 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | O Carballiño |
| Competition | Copa Del Rey |
Arenteiro vs Atletico Madrid Preview
The Copa del Rey suddenly feels like a big priority for Atletico Madrid this season after a poor start to the campaign in the other competitions and they’ll be determined to progress into Round 3 on Thursday night. They are up against Arenteiro who provided one of the shocks of the last round by defeating top flight opposition.
Almeria provided the opposition on that occasion but the Galician minnows really rose to the challenge posed by Rubi’s side. Goals from Anton Escobar and Rafa Mella sealed a famous victory at O Carballiño and the locals will be eagerly anticipating this game as they look to test themselves against Diego Simeone’s side.
Arenteiro are in the Segunda Federación and they haven’t been higher than the fourth tier of the Spanish football ladder since the 1980’s so this will be a very rare chance for them to test themselves against elite level opposition. They have to take confidence from the Almeria win but this will be another step up in class given how seriously Atleti are expected to take the tie.
Diego Simeone will be without one or two of his World Cup stars after a number of Atleti players featured in the final week of the tournament in Qatar. He’s likely to go as strong as possible aside from that though having also named a very strong XI in the last round away to 5th tier Almazán. Goals from Angel Correa and Joao Felix sealed progress then but it wasn’t the most convincing of performances.
That has certainly been a bit of a recurring theme for Atleti this term. They have already been knocked out of Europe altogether despite landing in a relatively weak Champions League group. They are well off the pace in LaLiga too and defeat here is almost unthinkable given it would effectively end their chances of picking up any silverware, before even the turn of the year.
Score Prediction: Arenteiro 0-2 Atletico Madrid
While nothing should be taken away from Arenteiro, it’s perhaps fair to say that the Copa del Rey was not a big priority for Almeria which contributed to their shock exit in this ground in November. Atleti should offer a step up in class and the visitors should do a professional job to seal progress into Round 3.
PLEASE NOTE – Our Copa del Rey predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
