Matchday 6 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League group stage between Atletico Madrid and Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) will take place on December 11 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. Atletico Madrid vs. Slovan Bratislava: prediction, betting odds, and statistics.
Referee: Manfredas Lukjancukas (Lithuania)
Matches – 12 (International matches, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 49;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 5;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 33%.
Predicted lineups for Atletico Madrid vs. Slovan Bratislava
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Jan Oblak – Clement Lenglet, Jose Maria Gimenez, Javi Galan, Marcos Llorente – Pablo Barrios, Rodrigo De Paul, Giuliano Simeone, Conor Gallagher – Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez.
Slovan Bratislava (4-2-1-3): Dominik Takac – Cesar Blackman, Guram Kashia, Kevin Wimmer, Sharani Zuberu – Kenan Bajric, Danilo Ignatenko – Tigran Barseghyan – Idjesse Metoko, Vladimir Weiss, David Strelec.
Atletico Madrid
The Spanish side started their Champions League group stage campaign with a win over Leipzig (2-1). However, they then suffered disappointing defeats to Benfica (0-4) and Lille (1-3). In the past two rounds, Atletico bounced back with away victories against PSG (2-1) and a commanding 6-0 win over Sparta Prague. This performance secured their place among the top 16, with only one point separating them from the top 8.
Midfielder Thomas Lemar is sidelined due to injury.
- At least three goals have been scored in the regular time of Atletico's last eight Champions League matches.
- Both teams found the net in 6 of Atletico's last 8 Champions League games.
- At least two goals were scored in the first half of 6 out of Atletico's last 8 matches in this competition.
Slovan Bratislava
After five rounds of the group stage, only three teams remain without a point, including Slovan, who have been defeated in all five matches alongside Leipzig and Young Boys. Furthermore, Slovan has the worst defense in the 2024/25 Champions League group stage, conceding 18 goals. Notably, Bratislava suffered three heavy defeats, one by two goals, and only in the last round did they narrowly lose at home to Milan (2-3).
Midfielder Marko Tolic is suspended for this match.
- At least four goals have been scored in 5 of Slovan's last 6 matches in this tournament.
- Both teams scored in 5 of Slovan's last 7 Champions League games.
- The club has failed to win in five consecutive away matches in this competition (3 draws and 2 losses).
Atletico Madrid vs. Slovan Bratislava: Match Prediction
Bookmakers offer very low odds on a victory for the Spanish side, close to one. This highlights the unexpected presence of the Slovakian club in the main stage of the Champions League. Bratislava had decent results in this tournament, but once they reached the autumn phase, the gap between Slovan and the top teams became apparent. In 4 out of 5 group stage games, Slovan conceded at least three goals, with only Girona, who are not in their best form, scoring just two.
I am confident that Atletico will secure a comprehensive victory. The Madrid side is on the brink of entering the tournament's top 8, and they are solely focused on winning. Additionally, they need a much better goal difference, which currently stands at just +2. Even in La Liga, Diego Carlos's team frequently scores two or three goals at home against opponents who are arguably stronger than the Slovaks.
My prediction – Atletico Madrid with a handicap (-2.5)
