Valencia vs Atletico Madrid Preview

Valencia host Atlético Madrid at the Mestalla on Saturday afternoon in a La Liga fixture with very different stakes for each side. The hosts are locked in a battle to keep distance between themselves and the relegation zone, while the visitors arrive needing points to protect their grip on fourth place and the European ambitions that come with it.

Valencia head into this match having claimed a timely home win in their most recent outing, defeating Girona 2-1 at the Mestalla. Prior to that, they were held to a 1-1 draw at Mallorca. Before that, a 1-0 defeat at Elche stung, while earlier in this run a 2-3 home loss to Celta Vigo underlined the vulnerability that has defined their campaign. The fifth result in this sequence — a 2-0 win away at Sevilla — remains something to point to as evidence that the quality is there. Two wins, one draw and two defeats across five games is a sequence that reflects exactly where Valencia find themselves: capable of matching opponents but not yet consistent enough to pull clear of danger.

Atlético arrive with their own share of uncertainty. Their most recent outing produced a 1-1 home draw with Arsenal in the Champions League knockout stages. Prior to that, a sharp 3-2 home win over Athletic Club offered some encouragement. Before that, a 3-2 defeat at Elche was an unexpected setback, while earlier in this run a home draw with Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey and a 1-2 home defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League complete a sequence of one win, two draws and two defeats. A team of Atlético’s resources should not be heading to Mestalla in such inconsistent form, and that creates a degree of opportunity for the hosts.

The head-to-head record heavily favours Atlético Madrid, who have won four of the last five meetings, with no draws and one win for Valencia. Most recently, Atlético won 2-1 at home in December 2025. In the previous encounter, they claimed all three points at the Mestalla in February 2025, winning 3-0 away from home.

In the La Liga table, Valencia sit twelfth on 39 points, five ahead of eighteenth-placed Sevilla and the relegation zone. With five games remaining, there is little margin for error — a defeat here and a win for one of those below them would tighten things considerably. Atlético Madrid are fourth on 60 points, five behind third-placed Villarreal on 65. A win for the visitors would bring them to 63 and keep the pressure on Villarreal, who they trail by five points with no games in hand. For Atlético, these are points they cannot afford to drop if European ambitions beyond their current standing are to be realised.

In Spain, the match is live on Movistar+ and LaLiga TV Bar HD. In the United Kingdom, viewers can watch on Premier Sports Player and LaLigaTV. In the United States, the game is available on ESPN Deportes, ESPN Select and fuboTV.

Lineups & Injuries

Valencia (4-2-3-1) Dimitrievski, Gayà, Tárrega, Guerra, Núñez, Pepelu, Rodríguez, Ramazani, Beltrán, Rioja, Sadiq

Valencia: Diakhaby (Out), Foulquier (Out), Copete (Out), Correia (Out), Agirrezabala (Doubtful)

Atletico Madrid (4-2-3-1) Musso, Boñar, Normand, Mendoza, Díaz, Vargas, Lenglet, Molina, Baena, Almada, Sørloth

Atletico Madrid: Barrios (Out), Nico González (Out), Giménez (Doubtful), Julián Alvarez (Doubtful), Giuliano Simeone (Doubtful)

Valencia are significantly depleted at the back and in wide areas, with four confirmed absentees covering defensive and attacking positions. Atlético’s issues are no less significant — losing Barrios and Nico González in midfield, with three further doubts including Julián Alvarez, leaves the visitors short of depth in key areas too. Neither team is anywhere close to full strength.

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Valencia — Last Five Results

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Valencia	2 – 1	Girona	Spanish LaLiga	Apr 25, 2026
🤝	Mallorca	1 – 1	Valencia	Spanish LaLiga	Apr 21, 2026
❌	Elche	1 – 0	Valencia	Spanish LaLiga	Apr 11, 2026
❌	Valencia	2 – 3	Celta Vigo	Spanish LaLiga	Apr 5, 2026
✅	Sevilla	0 – 2	Valencia	Spanish LaLiga	Mar 21, 2026

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Atletico Madrid — Last Five Results

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
🤝	Atlético Madrid	1 – 1	Arsenal	Champions League	Apr 29, 2026
✅	Atlético Madrid	3 – 2	Athletic Club	Spanish LaLiga	Apr 25, 2026
❌	Elche	3 – 2	Atlético Madrid	Spanish LaLiga	Apr 22, 2026
🤝	Atlético Madrid	2 – 2	Real Sociedad	Copa del Rey	Apr 18, 2026
❌	Atlético Madrid	1 – 2	Barcelona	Champions League	Apr 14, 2026

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Head to Head — Last Five Meetings

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Atlético Madrid	2 – 1	Valencia	Spanish LaLiga	Dec 13, 2025
Valencia	0 – 3	Atlético Madrid	Spanish LaLiga	Feb 22, 2025
Atlético Madrid	3 – 0	Valencia	Spanish LaLiga	Sep 15, 2024
Atlético Madrid	2 – 0	Valencia	Spanish LaLiga	Jan 28, 2024
Valencia	3 – 0	Atlético Madrid	Spanish LaLiga	Sep 16, 2023

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TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Spain	Movistar+, LaLiga TV Bar HD, M+ LALIGA TV
United Kingdom	Premier Sports Player, LaLigaTV
Ireland	Premier Sports Player, LaLigaTV
United States	ESPN Deportes, ESPN Select, fuboTV
Germany	DAZN Germany
Italy	DAZN Italia
France	beIN Sports Connect
Netherlands	Ziggo Sport 4
Australia	beIN Sports 2, beIN Sports Connect
Canada	TSN+

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La Liga Table — 2025/26

Pos	Club	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Barcelona	33	28	1	4	87	30	+57	85
2	Real Madrid	33	23	5	5	68	31	+37	74
3	Villarreal	33	20	5	8	59	38	+21	65
4	Atlético Madrid	33	18	6	9	56	37	+19	60
5	Real Betis	33	12	14	7	49	41	+8	50
6	Getafe	33	13	5	15	28	34	-6	44
7	Celta	33	11	11	11	45	43	+2	44
8	Real Sociedad	33	11	10	12	52	52	0	43
9	Osasuna	33	11	9	13	39	40	-1	42
10	Athletic Club	33	12	5	16	36	48	-12	41
11	Rayo Vallecano	33	9	12	12	33	41	-8	39
12	Valencia	33	10	9	14	37	48	-11	39
13	Espanyol	33	10	9	14	37	49	-12	39
14	Elche	33	9	11	13	44	50	-6	38
15	Girona	33	9	11	13	36	50	-14	38
16	Alavés	33	9	9	15	38	49	-11	36
17	Mallorca	33	9	8	16	41	51	-10	35
18	Sevilla	33	9	7	17	40	55	-15	34
19	Levante	33	8	9	16	37	50	-13	33
20	Real Oviedo	33	6	10	17	26	51	-25	28