Atletico Madrid's season is reaching its end without being in the race for the title. However, they still aim to secure the third spot behind Barcelona and Real Madrid. They can conclude their home matches by triumphing over Real Betis.
Atleti's loss to Osasuna with a 2-0 score gave Athletic Bilbao hope for the fourth spot. Nevertheless, Atletico has displayed strong performance at home throughout the season, experiencing only one defeat in 18 league games at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Real Betis has the Conference League final against Chelsea on the horizon after finishing their league fixtures. They still have a chance to secure a Champions League place but are currently five points behind fifth-placed Villarreal with two games left.
Manuel Pellegrini's team has had consecutive draws in the league following their victory over Fiorentina in the Conference League semi-finals. Real Betis managed to secure a 1-0 win over Atletico in their initial league encounter back in October.
Team news
Both teams are expected to make adjustments to their line-ups after their matches on Thursday.
Atletico is likely to have a strong line-up, with players such as Antoine Griezmann, Conor Gallagher, Samuel Lino, Clement Lenglet, and Nahuel Molina vying for spots, while Alexander Sorloth might be among those making way.
Real Betis will miss Ezequiel Avila and Diego Llorente due to hamstring injuries. Hector Bellerin, Marc Roca, and Youssouf Sabaly are also nursing injuries. Aitor Ruibal is in contention for a starting position.
The stats
Real Betis has seen over 2.5 goals in six of their last seven matches.
Atletico has emerged victorious in 13 out of their 18 home league games this season.
Atletico has won their last three home matches, scoring a total of 11 goals.
Both teams have scored in Real Betis' past nine matches.
Atleti has clinched victory in their last six home clashes against Real Betis.
Real Betis has only scored one goal in their last eight visits to the Metropolitano.
Prediction
Although Atletico Madrid may appear to lack motivation now that they are out of the title race in Spain, securing the third spot remains a valuable goal. They are poised to defeat Real Betis in their final home game of the season.
Atleti's recent struggles have primarily occurred away from home, suffering defeats at Osasuna and Las Palmas and being held to a goalless draw at Alaves.
However, their home performances have been solid, with convincing wins such as 4-2 against Valladolid, and 3-0 and 4-0 against Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad, respectively, in their last three matches.
Atletico will be eager to avenge Betis' earlier victory over them in October, where they succumbed to a fourth-minute own goal, leading to Real's 1-0 win.
With Betis involved in high-scoring games recently, this encounter may witness more goals, but the home team is expected to emerge triumphant.