Atletico keen to improve away form in trip across capital

10Jan 2013

Jonno Turner selects one English side to do the business tonight, and then visits warmer climes as he takes a trip to Spain.

We're off to the Midlands for our first pick of the day - as Coventry welcome Preston North End to the Ricoh Arena in the Football League Trophy, looking to make it six unbeaten from their last seven on their own patch.

Mark Robins has seen his side in resurgent form since he took over a couple of months, and they now sit in 12th place in League One - just five points off the play-offs.

Nine goals scored in their last five in front of their own fans suggests that the Sky Blues are more than capable of hitting the back of the net, and that stands them in good stead as they welcome a Preston side which has shipped four goals in three games.

The visitors go into this clash in miserable form, having won just one of their last five outings - and just two clean sheets secured in 21 trips away from Deepdale suggests that Graham Westley's side may need to tighten up their rearguard.

And that's not the only area of the away side which has been found wanting recently. A single goal scored in their last six hours of football indicates that the North West club could do with bolstering the attacking side of their squad, and that lack of prowess in the final third could play a major part in the outcome of this encounter.

The last time these two sides met, they played out a 1-1 stalemate in the league - but with a trip to Wembley almost in sight, they will both be desperate to take the spoils in this one.

Bet 1: Coventry (HOME) @ 2

Over to Spain now, as Atletico Madrid travel to Getafe in the Copa Del Rey, aiming to put right a miserable run on their travels which has seen them lose three of their last five away from the Vicente Calderon Stadium.

Diego Simeone's side are on a roll in La Liga, and go into this tie sitting second in the table, splitting Barca and Real Madrid - but that form on the road will need to improve if they are to sustain their top two challenge for the rest of the campaign.

Luckily for los Rojiblancos, their performances on their own patch have been consistently impressive, and 16 consecutive wins in front of their own fans has seen them climb the division despite those blips away from home.

The visitors go into this clash with a 3-0 lead from the first leg, but even with Simeone expected to make changes, he has confirmed that Colombian hotshot Falcao will lead the line up top.

That is a massive boost to the away side, who will be looking to secure an away goal early on and get this one tied up.

Getafe approach this clash all but eliminated from the competition - and with an important game against Zaragoza on Sunday, it remains to be seen whether boss Luis Garcia Plaza will field his strongest line up.

The hosts have not won in five games, and seven goals shipped in their last two suggests major issues in the Azulones defence.

Just two wins from half a dozen outings at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez indicates that the home side may struggle to cope with the pressure of playing in front of a home crowd, and Atletico have the quality to take advantage of that.

It's worth noting that Simeone has won all 11 cup games since taking over at Atletico - and I don't expect that to change this evening.

Bet 2: Atletico Madrid (AWAY) @ 2.24