Barcelona will be looking to find some consistency as they host Atletico Madrid in a La Liga fixture on Sunday. Level on points in the standings, both teams appear evenly matched at the moment and could be set to cancel each other out for a draw.
Barcelona have been a bit erratic in recent weeks, all of which stemmed from that defeat to Real Madrid in the El Clasico. They have picked up just three wins from their last six matches across all competitions and have dropped to fourth on the La Liga standings.
The Catalans were made to come from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano last time out in La Liga. However, they made a swift return to winning ways in the Champions League, claiming a 2-1 victory over FC Porto on Tuesday.
One piece of good news for Barcelona is that they have remained solid at home, suffering only the one defeat in the El Clasico. Xavi’s men have picked up nine wins from their last 10 home matches but have failed to keep a clean sheet in the last four in that run.
While Barcelona are still battling inconsistency, Atletico Madrid have been building some momentum in recent times. They have won their last four matches across all competitions and recently leapfrogged the Catalans into third place.
Atletico Madrid claimed a 1-0 victory over Mallorca in their previous La Liga fixture with Antoine Griezmann’s second half effort proving the difference. They followed that result with a 3-1 victory over Feyenoord to progress to the Champions League round of 16.
Atletico Madrid have also shown some quality on their travels, suffering just one defeat in their last six away matches. However that loss came in their last La Liga fixture on the road as they were beaten 2-1 by Las Palmas.
How the bookies view it
Barcelona have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 10/11 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Atletico is valued at 3/1 by Betfred while Unibet is offering odds of 29/10 for a draw.
Head to head
Barcelona have a 34-18 advantage with 17 draws from 69 previous matches against Atletico Madrid. The Catalans did the double over Atletico last season with both fixtures ending 1-0.
Players to watch
Robert Lewandowski has looked off colour in recent weeks but remains the leading scorer for Barcelona with seven La Liga goals. Five of those goals have come at home and the Polish striker could be backed to rediscover his scoring touch at 5/4 by bet365.
Antoine Griezmann has been the standout player for Atletico Madrid this season with nine La Liga goals so far. The forward will be the one to watch on Sunday and is priced at 11/4 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye?
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have plenty of attacking quality and both teams could be backed to score at 8/13 by BoyleSports. Atletico have seen over 2.5 goals in three of their last four La Liga matches six a repeat is priced at 3/4 by bet365 while BetVictor is offering odds of 19/10 on over 3.5 goals.
There have been more goals after the break in Barcelona’s last five La Liga home matches and a similar outcome is priced at 11/10 with Paddy Power. Both teams could also be backed to score in the second half at 2/1 with William Hill.
This La Liga match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will be played on Dec 3, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
