Atletico Madrid missed another opportunity to revive their title bid as they could only share spoils with Sevilla, but los Colchoneros need to try and defeat Valencia if they went to remain in third position.

Los Che have all but secured Champions League qualification thanks to a four-match winning run, and they will now attempt to pip their next opponents to the final automatic qualifying spot.

Atletico Madrid were always going to fell the ill-effects of the busy schedule and it would appear as though they are currently in a very bad place.

Three defeats to Barcelona in January didn’t have such a big effect on club’s season, but the latest poor run of results is proving to be quite a bother.

Under-par performances in away matches against Celta Vigo and Sevilla saw Atletico slip to seven points behind leaders Real Madrid, but the fact Valencia are now just one point behind is a bigger cause for concern.

Los Colchoneros were also beaten in the first leg of their Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen, meaning they will be desperate to return to winning ways at the weekend.

And seeing as they have been quite impressive at home this season, it is important to note that Atletico are 1.67 (2/3) to claim maximum points.

With Joao Miranda suspended, Diego Simeone was delighted to welcome back Jose Maria Gimenez, while Antoine Griezmann is banned as well.

Saul Niguez remains sidelined, but Koke and Guilherme Siqueira are expected to return to the starting line-up having recovered from injury.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-2): Moya – Juanfran, Gimenez, Godin, Siqueira – Turan, Gabi, Tiago, Koke – Torres, Garcia.

Valencia did invest considerable funds into the playing squad over the summer, but they are still doing much better than anyone could predict.

New coach Nuno Espirito Santo has done a brilliant job so far, with los Che now holding a seven-point advantage over their top 4 rivals.

The next goal is to try and achieve a top 3 finish in La Liga and secure automatic Champions League berth, and a victory over Atletico would get them much closer to their goal.

Given that Valencia have won last four league matches, you should know los Che are available at 6.50 (11/2) to win at Vicente Calderon.

Avaro Negredo continues to deputize for the injured Paco Alcacer, whereas Sofiane Feghouli will again be preferred to Rodrigo Moreno.

Nicolas Otamendi was expected to miss the game through an ankle problem, but he has recovered quicker than expected and could start.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Alves – Barragan, Mustafi, Otamendi, Gaya – Fuego, Perez – Feghouli, Parejo, Piatti – Negredo.