Atlético look to break their Ciudad de Valencia 'curse' at Levante

Ahead of the game against Levante, Rubén Uría runs through Atleti's record at the Ciudad de Valencia: under Simeone they have come away with a win only three times in twelve matches, one of them in the Copa del Rey.

The Ciutat de València is hardly Atlético de Madrid's favourite ground. Quite the opposite, in fact, or so the numbers suggest. With the Levante game on the horizon, Rubén Uría discusses what he calls the curse of the Ciudad de Valencia. He opens with the old Spanish saying about the man who trips over the same stone twice: Atleti, he says, always stumble at that stadium, whether they arrive top of the table or fifteenth.

The figures he presents are clear. Since Simeone took charge, Atlético have played twelve matches there, eleven in LaLiga and one in the Copa del Rey, and have won only three, a 25% record. The most recent win was precisely the cup tie, in 2023. The others were a 5-0 in 2017 and a 1-0 in 2020.

The rest amounts to six draws and three defeats, a record Uría repeats so it is not forgotten ahead of a Saturday 2pm kick-off. It remains to be seen whether Atleti can lift the 'curse' at Levante's ground.