Atletico Madrid return to Wanda Metropolitano on Monday night with eyes on second place as they host a beleaguered Real Valladolid side staring down the barrel of relegation. While Diego Simeone’s men are out of the title race and Europe this season, they remain firmly in control of their top-four spot and could still leapfrog city rivals Real Madrid in the final stretch.

Atletico snatched a dramatic 2-1 victory at Sevilla last weekend, thanks to Pablo Barrios’ stoppage-time winner, and will be desperate to build momentum after an underwhelming few weeks. Eliminations from both the Champions League and Copa del Rey have deflated their silverware hopes, but with only three points separating them from second place, there's still plenty to play for. Simeone’s side are unbeaten at home in La Liga since early January and will be confident of keeping that run intact against La Liga’s bottom club.

For Real Valladolid, the situation is bleak. Alvaro Rubio’s side have lost their last four games and sit 14 points from safety with eight matches remaining. Their return to the second tier seems inevitable, as they carry both the league’s worst attacking record (19 goals scored) and worst defensive record (69 conceded). Adding to their woes, they’ve lost their last six La Liga matches against Atletico, including a humbling 5-0 defeat earlier this season.

In terms of team news, Atletico remain without Angel Correa due to suspension, while Samuel Lino and Rodrigo De Paul are also sidelined. However, Jose Gimenez returns from his own ban and is likely to step straight into the backline. Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann are expected to lead the line again.

Valladolid, meanwhile, will be without Mario Martin after his red card last week, though they do welcome back defenders David Torres and Javi Sanchez. Injuries to Karl Hein and Florian Grillitsch remain concerns, and Juanmi Latasa is again set to spearhead a struggling attack.

Even in an unremarkable run of form, Atletico should have no trouble dispatching a doomed Valladolid side. With superior quality, home advantage, and motivation to chase second place, Simeone’s side are expected to cruise to a comfortable victory.

马德里竞技将在周一晚上重返万达大都会球场，他们的目标是争夺第二名，因为他们将面对陷入困境的皇家巴利亚多利德，他们面临着降级的危险。虽然迭戈·西蒙尼的球队在本赛季的冠军争夺和欧冠争夺战中出局，但他们仍然牢牢地控制着前四的位置，并且仍然有可能在最后阶段超越同城对手皇家马德里。

上周末，马竞凭借巴里奥斯在补时阶段的绝杀，戏剧性地以2-1战胜塞维利亚，在经历了几周的低迷后，马竞将竭尽全力建立势头。欧冠和国王杯的出局让他们的夺冠希望破灭，但他们与第二名的差距只有3分，还有很多事情要做。西蒙尼的球队自1月初以来在西甲主场保持不败，他们有信心在对阵西甲垫底的球队时保持不败。

对于巴利亚多利德来说，情况很惨淡。鲁比奥的球队输掉了最近的四场比赛，在还剩下8场比赛的情况下，他们只差14分。他们重回二线似乎是不可避免的，因为他们有着联赛最差的进攻记录（进19球）和最差的防守记录（丢69球）。更糟糕的是，他们在西甲联赛中输掉了最近六场对阵马竞的比赛，包括本赛季早些时候0 - 5惨败。

在球队方面，由于停赛，马竞仍然没有科雷亚，而里诺和德保罗也将缺阵。然而，希门尼斯从禁赛中复出，很可能直接进入后防线。朱利安·阿尔瓦雷斯和安东尼·格列兹曼有望再次领跑。

与此同时，巴利亚多利德在上周的红牌之后将失去马里奥·马丁，尽管他们欢迎后卫大卫·托雷斯和哈维·桑切斯的回归。卡尔·海因和弗洛里安·格里里奇的伤病仍然令人担忧，而胡安米·拉塔萨将再次成为苦苦挣扎的进攻先锋。

即使在一个不起眼的状态下，马竞也应该毫不费力地击败了注定要失败的巴利亚多利德队。凭借出色的实力、主场优势和追逐第二名的动力，西蒙尼的球队有望轻松取胜。