La Liga Preview: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Odds
Both Sides Coming Off Champions League Triumphs
Barcelona Fighting to Stay in Title Race
Both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona silenced their doubters in midweek Champions League action. Atletico Madrid defeated Inter Milan in penalties on Wednesday, while Barcelona picked up an impressive 3-1 victory over Napoli the day before. Now, both sides have qualified for the Champions League Quarter-Final and are looking to make deep runs. On Sunday, though, they’ll face off in a La Liga match as Barcelona scramble to stay in the title race. We’ll check out the Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona odds for a much anticipated game.
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona
Location: Estadio Civitas Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain
Day/Time:
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona H2H
Barcelona have won each of their last four matches vs. Atletico Madrid. The last three on the schedule for La Liga have finished with a 1-0 scoreline, and Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix, on loan at Barça, scored the winner in the reverse fixture. The pregame Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona odds listed Barcelona as -120 favorites. The last six meetings at the Metropolitano are even, with two wins apiece and two draws.
Atletico Stun Inter Milan
Atletico Madrid entered the night down 1-0 on aggregate in the Champions League round of 16 vs. Inter Milan and fell further behind. Federico Dimarco finished off a superb attack for Inter, who went up 1-0 on the night and 2-0 on aggregate. Atleti did get a goal back soon after, as Antoine Griezmann came up clutch. With time running out, Inter resorted to a more defensive setup, and Atletico boss Diego Simeone made aggressive subs.
Players like Memphis Depay and Rodrigo Riquelme made a big impact when they came on. Depay ended up scoring the goal that gave Atletico a 2-1 lead on the night and leveled the fixture 2-2. Atleti handed Inter just their third loss of the season, and Jan Oblak came up huge in penalties for Atletico. The Slovenian shot-stopper saved two penalties as Atletico advanced to the Quarter-Final.
Unfortunately, Griezmann came off injured in the 105th minute, and his status for Sunday’s match is unclear. With 11 goals and six assists in La Liga, Griezmann ranks fifth in the league in goal contributions. Atleti have underperformed their La Liga betting lines as of late, with just two wins from their last five in the competition. Last weekend, they suffered a 2-0 defeat to relegation threatened Cadiz, and Atleti is now just two points ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Club.
Barcelona Silence, Their Critics
Xavi has received a lot of criticism during his time as Barcelona coach. Feeling media pressure, he announced last month that he’d step away from the club at the end of the season. When Barcelona managed to beat Napoli 3-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday to advance to the Quarters for the first time since he didn’t hold back. The 2022-23 La Liga winning coach said: “I even read that we were the joke of the Champions League. And now what?”
Even though defending champions Barcelona were presumed out of the title race a month ago, they are in third place in the La Liga table. A couple of Real Madrid slip-ups would let Barça right back in the title race, as FCB are eight points behind the La Liga leaders. Despite recent injuries to midfielders Pedri and Frenkie De Jong, Barcelona are unbeaten in their last nine games, in all competitions.
Last time out in La Liga, 16-year-old winger Lamine Yamal scored the game’s only goal in a win vs. Mallorca. Other youngsters have stepped up recently as well. Fermin Lopez (20) scored the opening goal vs. Napoli on Tuesday and Pau Cubarsi (17) has started at center back in each of Barcelona’s last four matches, during which they’ve only conceded once. Given Barcelona’s spending constraints due to Financial Fair Play and the relative youth of their team, Xavi has done about as well as he can.
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Analysis & Odds
This is expected to be the most competitive La Liga match of the weekend, and both sides need wins. If Atletico can pick up a win here, it will massively boost their top-four hopes. If Barcelona doesn’t win, they may have to kiss their hopes of defending their title goodbye. For Sunday’s match, the Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona odds price hosts Atleti as +140 favorites.
Barça are +185 underdogs, but this match is listed as a pick’em. Atletico pk comes in at -135 odds, while Barcelona pk displays +115 odds. While Griezmann may miss this one for Atleti, Thomas Lemar and Jose Gimenez are also presumed to be out. Meanwhile, De Jong, Pedri, Gavi, Marcos Alonso, Alex Balde, and Ferran Torres will all likely miss this one for Barcelona.
Barcelona’s road record in La Liga remains unscathed, at 7-6-0. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid is an unbeaten 13-1-0 at the Metropolitano as well. A draw (+270) would preserve both sides unbeaten runs. Barcelona’s defense has stepped up in recent weeks, but over 2.5, 3 goals are priced at -120 odds for this can’t-miss match.
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