La Liga
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Played
December 18, 2011 6:00 AM EST
Estadio Vicente Calderón — Madrid
Referee:‬ José Luis González González‎
Attendance:‬ 35000‎
 
 
Pozuelo 55′
 
Roque Santa Cruz 90′

La Liga Preview: Atletico Madrid - Real Betis

Sunday's early kickoff pits two under-pressure coaches desperately in need of a result against each other, as their teams slide down the standings

By Karthick Arvinth

More On :  Atletico Madrid, Real Betis, Atletico Madrid vs Betis
Alvaro Dominguez and Radamel Falcao (Atlético Madrid)
PROSHOTS

 PROBABLE LINEUPS


ATLETICO MADRID

Courtois
Perea, Godin, Dominguez, Filipe
Suarez, Gabi
Turan, Diego, Adrian
Falcao
REAL BETIS

Casto
Chica, Ustaritz, Dorado, Nacho
Pozuelo, Benat, Iriney, Juanma
Castro, Santa Cruz

Thibaut Courtois and Mario Suarez are set to be restored to the Atletico Madrid starting line-up after they were rested for the Europa League victory over Rennes.

Under-fire coach Gregorio Manzano could also hand a start to Jose Antonio Reyes in attack as he plots his team's recovery on the domestic front after damaging defeats against Espanyol and Albacete last week. Portuguese international Silvio may be fit and could replace Luis Perea at right-back.

Real Betis's second string were embarrassed by Cordoba in the Copa del Rey in midweek and Pepe Mel will revert to the team that beat Valencia last weekend. Ustaritz is likely retain his spot at the center of defense, though, at the expense of the injured Pedro Mario, while Ezequiel could miss out with a back injury.


 DID YOU KNOW?
  • Atletico Madrid has won four of their last six league encounters with Real Betis.
  • Colombian ace Radamel Falcao (pictured) is the capital club's leading scorer this season with 12 goals.
  • Atletico is yet to lose a game at the Vicente Calderon this season.
  • Under-pressure boss Gregorio Manzano has been in charge of the home side since June of this year.
  • Real Betis's 2-1 win over Valencia last weekend ended a 10-game winless streak.
  • Ruben Castro is the club's top scorer this season with five goals.
  • The King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, is an honorary member of the Andalusian club.
  • Neither of these sides has a positive goal difference, with Atletico on -2 and Betis on -7.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Atletico Madrid 2-0 Betis
    32.12 %
  • Atletico Madrid 3-1 Betis
    11.92 %
  • Atletico Madrid 2-1 Betis
    10.36 %
Head to Head
La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ Apr 29, 2012 Betis 2 - Atletico Madrid 2
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La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ Dec 18, 2011 Atletico Madrid 0 - Betis 2
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Club Friendlies ‎(FR)‎ Jul 24, 2010 Betis 1 - Atletico Madrid 2
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La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ May 3, 2009 Betis 0 - Atletico Madrid 2
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La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ Dec 14, 2008 Atletico Madrid 2 - Betis 0
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Last Five Matches
Atletico Madrid
May 13, 2012Villarreal 0 - Atletico Madrid 1LIGA
May 9, 2012Atletico Madrid 3 - Athletic Bilbao 0EL
May 5, 2012Atletico Madrid 2 - Malaga 1LIGA
May 2, 2012Atletico Madrid 1 - Real Sociedad 1LIGA
Apr 29, 2012Betis 2 - Atletico Madrid 2LIGA
Betis
May 12, 2012Betis 2 - Barcelona 2LIGA
May 5, 2012Sporting Gijon 2 - Betis 1LIGA
May 2, 2012Sevilla 1 - Betis 2LIGA
Apr 29, 2012Betis 2 - Atletico Madrid 2LIGA
Apr 22, 2012Valencia 4 - Betis 0LIGA
Team News
Available Squads
13Thibaut CourtoisGoalkeeper
2Diego Godín LealDefender
18Álvaro DomínguezDefender
6Filipe LuisDefender
20JuanfranMidfielder
14GabiMidfielder
12Paulo AssunçaoMidfielder
11Arda TuranMidfielder
22Diego RibasMidfielder
7AdriánStriker
9Radamel FalcaoStriker
25Sergio AsenjoGoalkeeper
23MirandaDefender
4Mario SuárezMidfielder
5TiagoMidfielder
21ReyesStriker
8Toto SalvioMidfielder
19KokeMidfielder
13CastoGoalkeeper
2IsidoroDefender
4AmayaDefender
5DoradoDefender
23NachoMidfielder
18IrineyMidfielder
10BeñatMidfielder
21José CañasStriker
35PozueloMidfielder
9Jonathan PereiraStriker
24Rubén CastroStriker
1GoitiaGoalkeeper
15UstaritzDefender
7JuanmaMidfielder
20Jefferson Antonio MonteroMidfielder
39Sergio Midfielder
16Roque Santa CruzStriker
19Jorge MolinaStriker
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Lionel Messi Lionel Messi
Striker
Barcelona 		50 10
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker
Real Madrid 		46 12
Radamel Falcao Radamel Falcao
Striker
Atlético de Madrid 		24 5
Gonzalo Higuaín Gonzalo Higuaín
Striker
Real Madrid 		22 0
Karim Benzema Karim Benzema
Striker
Real Madrid 		21 0