La Liga Matchup: Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid Odds, Preview
Both Teams Triumph in UCL Midweek
La Liga Game of the Week
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both clinched a spot in the Champions League round of 16 with wins on Tuesday. Barça beat Porto on the road, 2-1, while Atletico Madrid eliminated Feyenoord with a 3-1 victory of their own. The two La Liga sides will meet on Sunday in Barcelona in one of the biggest matches of the season. Atletico have a game in hand, but Barcelona will move into third place if they can get a win on Sunday. Ahead of the match, let’s check out the Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid odds.
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid
Day/Time:
Location: Estadio OlÃmpico LluÃs Companys, Barcelona, Spain
Head-to-Head:
In their title-winning 2022-23 campaign, Barcelona completed the season sweep of Atletico Madrid. Barcelona won 1-0 both home and away and are on a three-game winning streak in this fixture. Previously, Atletico were on a five-game unbeaten run vs Barcelona, in all competitions. In one of the best La Liga games today, we’ll see if Atleti can break their losing streak.
Barcelona Not Scoring as Much as Hoped
There were suggestions that Xavi might be on the hot seat following Barcelona’s 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano last Saturday. Barcelona haven’t scored more than two goals in any of their last eight La Liga matches and are 4-3-1 during that time. A look at the Barcelona standings shows that they’re in fourth place in the league, four points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Although they’ve already dropped points on five occasions, the defending champions have what it takes to stay in the title race. Midweek, Barcelona managed to clinch Group H in the Champions League with a 2-1 win over FC Porto. Portuguese duo Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix got on the scoresheet in the Barça victory.
Now, the Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid odds list hosts Barcelona as -120 favorites for the La Liga match of the week. On Sunday, Barcelona will be missing Gavi, who is out for the season with an ACL tear. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is doubtful with a back injury that has kept him out of the last two matches. If he’s unable to suit up, Iñaki Peña will continue to deputize.
Atletico in Title Race
Like Barcelona, Atletico Madrid also clinched a spot in the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday. They went on the road to Feyenoord and came away with a 3-1 victory. While Alvaro Morata wasn’t on the scoresheet in the match, he is currently a joint-leader in the UCL, with five goals. No team has scored more Champions League goals this season than Atletico Madrid either, as they’ve averaged three goals per game so far.
Atleti have also won eight of their last nine matches in La Liga and defeated Mallorca 1-0 last weekend. Antoine Griezmann scored the winning goal, and the French international is second in La Liga, with nine goals. Atletico have a game in hand on Real Madrid and Girona, who they’re three points behind. With Atletico in the title race, the La Liga betting odds price them as +750 dark horses to win the title.
They’ll have to deal with midfielder Thomas Lemar out for the following few months, minimum, along with Pablo Barrios. Still, Rodrigo Riquelme has stepped up as of late and put in a man of the match performance at Feyenoord. Diego Simeone’s side have averaged 2.3 goals per game and conceded just four in their last five La Liga matches.
Match Analysis & Odds
As two title hopefuls face off on Sunday, the Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid odds price the hosts as favorites. Barcelona sit at -120 ATS and moneyline odds as they’ve won six of their seven La Liga home matches this season. Atletico Madrid have won just three of their six road matches, but they’ve already defeated Real Madrid this season.
Atletico +0.5 shows even odds as they’re +280 underdogs to come away with a win. Bettors should note that Atletico Madrid haven’t managed a road victory in La Liga vs Barcelona since 2006. Still, the teams have seldom been this close in terms of quality. A draw is also priced at +260 odds here.
With Pedri and Frenkie de Jong both back from injuries, Barcelona should have a decent shot of winning the midfield battle. Still, Atletico’s typical trio of Rodrigo de Paul, Koke and Marcos Llorente is excellent. Even though both defenses have been among the best in the league this season, over 2.5 goals show -135 odds for this one.
For La Liga betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
