La Liga: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Live
Preview: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona is one of the highly anticipated matches in La Liga is set to happen at the impressive Wanda Metropolitano stadium on Sunday at 8:00pm. Both teams secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals recently, with Atletico defeating Inter Milan in a penalty shootout and Barcelona winning against Napoli with a 4-2 aggregate score.
Both teams had to defeat tough Italian opponents during the week, with Atlético managing to come back from a one-goal deficit to advance past Inter Milan on penalties, while Barcelona efficiently eliminated Napoli with a 4-2 aggregate score. Atlético needed this victory as they have been struggling in other competitions lately, including being knocked out of the Copa del Rey and failing to win two of their last three La Liga matches, one draw and one loss. Their recent 2-0 loss to relegation-threatened Cádiz in their last league game has left Diego Simeone’s team fighting to secure their place in the top four.
Xavi will be eager for a final victory over Atlético before he departs at the end of the season, aiming to become the first Barca manager to secure five consecutive La Liga wins against Simeone’s team. The players have been in good form, with a nine-game unbeaten streak in all competitions with 6 wins and 3 draws. Their recent success has been attributed to their ability to stifle opposition attacks, as Barcelona currently holds the longest run of consecutive clean sheets in La Liga this season, with three.
Head-to-head
The home side has lost their last four head-to-head matches against Barca, with the last three ending in a 1-0 score line.
Prediction
Barca has kept clean sheets in their last three games against Atletico, winning each match 1-0. However, it is unlikely that they will secure an away victory on Sunday. These two teams have not drawn a match since May 2021, but we anticipate a closely contested game this weekend where the points will likely be shared.
