Atletico Madrid finish their La Liga campaign with a home game versus Celta Vigo and will have to go past the domestic disappointment to put a strong performance in the final game of the season against the rivals who have Europa League spot to fight for.

All eyes on the Champions League prize

Atletico Madrid saw their La Liga title charge dramatically end with a shock 2-1 defeat at already relegated Levante last week. Barcelona head into the final round of the season three points clear and with a better head-to-head record, but the capital club will be looking for a consolation prize as a win over Celta will have them finish the season in front of Real Madrid, should Real Madrid fail to beat Deportivo La Coruna. Diego Simeone has urged his players to lift their heads up and put up an inspiring performance in order to finish the season with a win in front of the home supporters. Atletico Madrid boss is not disappointed with how the season went for his team and Atleti still have a great chance of making this campaign a successful one as they are preparing for the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid. First things first and Rojiblancos will surely listen to their coach. Antoine Griezmann will be the one to watch in the upcoming game as the Frenchman has so far enjoyed a fantastic season.

Fernando Torres is likely to continue his partnership with Griezmann in attack and Spanish striker will be keen to add to his 10-goal tally in the final match of the season. Diego Simeone will sit the game in the stands as he serves the last of his three-game touchline ban, but he is likely to field Tiago, who is returning from a five-month layoff due to a broken leg.

European spot in the balance

According to all the standards this has been a successful campaign for Celta Vigo. Eduardo Berizzo, who agreed to a one-year extension to his contract back in April, has guided his team to the fifth place in the table and has seen Celta all but secure a place in the UEFA Europa League. Celticos have lost only one of their nine matches and they travel to Madrid in good spirits. Celta have won 4 of their last eight trips to Vicente Calderon and the Saturday’s match will be their opportunity to keep hold of the place that guarantees direct promotion to Europa League. Iago Aspas and Nolito have been the two brightest sparks in Celta Vigo team this season as the attacking duo scored 14 and 12 goals respectively. The 29-year-old Spanis attacker Nolito has been the talk of the town this entire season as he was touted to make a return to Barcelona and there is no doubt that summer will bring new speculations regarding his future. Nolito’s influence this season has been limited to 26 league games due to injury problems, but Celta Vigo star player is keen to help his team finish the season within top five, ehich nobody thought was possible before the season started.

Euduardo Berizzo’s side will have to do without Claudio Beauvue who is struggling with an injury to his Achilles tendon, while Andreu Fontas is also ruled out for the occasion.

Verdict

Atletico Madrid owe it to their fans to finish the season on a high and to make amends for the missed chance in the last round when they lost their shot at fighting for the title. Diego Simeone’s men will have the Champions League finals in the back of their minds, but it won’t stop them from going strong and going hard at Celta Vigo.

Top pick: Atletico/Atletico   3.10 (21/10) @PaddyPower

Alternative pick 1: Atletico to win both halves   5.60 (23/5) @Unibet

Alternative pick 2: Atletico to win to nil   3.25 (9/4) @Bet365