Atletico Madrid vs. Real Betis 10/31/21 LaLiga Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Atletico Madrid and Real Betis are clashing at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano in round 12 of the Spanish LaLiga. Atletico is undefeated in their last 3 games, they are scoring goals, but they are also conceding too many goals. Betis is having an outstanding season so far, and they are on a 3-game winning streak.

Just to compare this Atletico to them form last season on the defensive end, they have conceded 4 goals in the first 12 games of the season in LaLiga, while this season they have already conceded 10, and that is a big problem for a team that prides itself on a solid defense. I mean, Atletico is still a solid defensive team, but they are not as good as they were last season when they won the title. In their last game against Levante on the road, Atletico has had 65% of ball possession, 3 shots on goal, 2 corner kicks, 2 big chances created, and 86% of the correct passes. Atletico Madrid was leading twice in this game, but Levante came back both times. Atletico conceded 2 goals from the penalty spot, and this game has ended in a 2-2 draw. Suarez has scored 6 goals for Atletico Madrid. Next week, Atletico will play against Liverpool in the Champions League, and that is a very important game for them, but they will be without Griezmann who is suspended. Can Atletico win that game, sure they can, but they will need that defense from last season.

 Betis has been one of the best teams in LaLiga this season with 19 scored goals, and their defense has also been solid with only 11 conceded goals. With 21 points, Real Betis is now in 4^th place. Jose and Junami are the leading goalscorers for Betis with 5 goals each, while Fekir added 3 assists. Betis was hosting Valencia in their last game, and they were the dominant teams with 61% of ball possession, impressive 9 shots o goal, 4 corner kicks, 4 big chances created, and 78% of the correct passes. With 2 scored goals in each half, Betis has won this game 4-1. Betis is also having a great time in the Europa League where they are in 2^nd place of their group, but they are playing against the group leader, Leverkusen, next week, and that could change. Betis is dangerous, they are creating a lot of chances, and more importantly, they are incredibly effective in the attacking end, at least for now.

When playing at home, Atletico has not lost to Betis in their last 9 games, and that might be the case here as well, but I just don’t see Atletico winning this game. Betis is in excellent form, and their Europa League game is not nearly as important as Atletico’s Champions League game is. I will take the double chance on Betis.