The matchday 25 La Liga fixture between Atletico Madrid and Espanyol will take place on 21 February at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium. Atletico Madrid vs Espanyol: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Atletico Madrid
The club’s last league game in La Liga ended in a shock defeat to Rayo Vallecano (0:3). Atletico Madrid lost by a heavy margin in the Spanish top flight for the first time since May 2024. That disastrous derby became the peak of the current slump: the Madrid side’s winless run in La Liga has reached three matches, and across this spell they have taken only one point from a possible nine. What is especially surprising is that in all three of those games the team did not score at all – Atletico Madrid have not had such a goal drought in La Liga since January–February 2020. As a result, the club have slipped to fourth in the table, and their gap to fifth place has been cut to four points.
- In this league season, the club have conceded 21 goals in total – only Real Madrid have allowed fewer (19).
- Atletico Madrid’s home run in this competition stretches to 11 matches (10 wins, one defeat).
- At least one team failed to score in five of the Madrid side’s previous La Liga matches.
Potential Atletico Madrid Lineup (4-5-1)*
Jan Oblak – Nahuel Molina, Jose Maria Gimenez, Clement Lenglet, Matteo Ruggeri – Rodrigo Mendoza, Johnny Cardoso, Nicolas Gonzalez, Alex Baena, Thiago Almada – Alexander Sorloth.
Midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza is suspended. Midfielders Pablo Barrios and Nicolas Gonzalez are unavailable due to injury.
Espanyol
The team still cannot win in La Liga in 2026. Their poor run over this period has reached seven matches, and across them Espanyol have picked up only two points. A week ago, the Catalan club let victory slip in the closing stages of a home game against Celta Vigo (2:2), a direct rival in the fight for European qualification. If there is a positive to take, it is that on that occasion the club collected at least one point after four consecutive defeats. And despite their prolonged problems, Espanyol have still held on to sixth place in the table. However, the gap to Celta Vigo is now minimal.
- Both teams scored in five of the Catalan side’s last six matches in the Spanish league.
- The club’s away scoring streak in this competition stands at eight matches.
- At least two goals have been scored in eight straight Espanyol matches in La Liga.
Potential Espanyol Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Marko Dmitrovic – Omar El Hilali, Leandro Cabrera, Clemens Riedel, Carlos Romero – Edu Exposito, Pol Lozano – Cyril Ngonge, Pere Milla, Charles Piquel – Roberto Fernandez.
Captain Javi Puado is unavailable due to injury.
Referee
Alejandro Muniz Ruiz (Spain)
Matches – 10 (La Liga, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 50;
Yellow cards per match – 5;
Red cards shown – 3;
Fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 40%.
Atletico Madrid vs Espanyol: Match Prediction
Atletico Madrid’s downturn is becoming unusually severe. The team are not just dropping points across three La Liga matches – over this stretch the Madrid side have taken only one point, and at the same time all three games were goalless. There was often not much margin for error even in better periods, and now problems have clearly emerged. Across the six La Liga matches played in 2026, the club have won by a margin of two or more goals only once.
Espanyol are also far from their best form, but even in their current state the team try to fight until the final minutes. Notably, the Catalan club have suffered only one heavy defeat all season in the league. They have lost by a margin of two goals only three times in their previous 12 matches in this competition. We should also note that Espanyol have not lost in five consecutive head-to-head meetings with Atletico Madrid in La Liga (one win, four draws).
Prediction: Espanyol (+1.5)
* For each team, the starting XI from its most recent match in this competition is listed.
