Prediction: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker: bet365

Real Madrid’s defeat at Mestalla just made La Liga title race a lot more interesting, meaning that there will be a lot at stake when Atletico Madrid and Barcelona square off at Vicente Calderon. This is the final chance for Diego Simeone’s charges to kick-start their title bid, whereas the Catalans have the opportunity to place extra pressure on their El Clasico rivals.

Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid have been punching slightly below their weight this season, especially in the first part of the campaign, but it looks as though Diego Simeone’s warriors are perfectly prepared for the season finale. The 4-2 triumph over Bayer Leverkusen in Germany saw los Colchoneros all but secure a place in the Champions League quarter-finals, while they have shown improvement on domestic stage as well. While they were unable to pip Barcelona to a place in the Copa del Rey final, Atletico defeated Leganes (2-0), Celta Vigo (3-2) and Sporting Gijon (4-1) in the league to cement a top 4 berth. The really impressive feat is that los Colchoneros scored five late goals in their last two league fixtures, which goes to show that their confidence is now well and truly back. Buoyed also by the 4-2 hammering of Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid head into the all-important clash with Barcelona in excellent spirits, so the hosts will definitely be hoping to end a four-match losing run in La Liga meetings with the Catalans. The good news is that the likes of Gameiro, Torres and Griezmann have been bagging goals for fun of late, meaning they will be feeling confident of hurting the Barcelona defenders.

Team News

First choice keeper Jan Oblak has resumed full training and he could finally return to the starting line-up after two and a half months.

The good news is that Diego Godin is also back in contention, but Juanfran, Augusto Fernandez and Tiago Mendes are definitely out.

Barcelona

This is quickly proving to be a very difficult season for Barcelona, who still trail Real Madrid in the La Liga standings and are now on the verge of European elimination. The Catalans suffered an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League Last 16 stage clash, and said loss placed extra pressure on head coach Luis Enrique, with Jorge Sampaoli and Ronald Koeman being mentioned as his potential replacements. The poor showing at Parc des Princes clear left a mark on the players as they then struggled to defeat Leganes at home, with Lionel Messi scoring the winner from a last-gasp penalty. With the confidence still pretty low, the Catalans could find it hard to match revived Atletico Madrid on Sunday afternoon, and we have doubts that their four-match winning streak in league clashes with los Colchoneros is going to continue. Barcelona’s away form has been quite sketchy this season, with six wins in last twelve away fixtures hardly an impressive result.

Team News

Sergio Busquets returns from suspension, whereas Andres Iniesta, Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique will be recalled to the side.

Key Factors to Consider

• Barcelona won last four La Liga meetings with Atletico Madrid
• Both teams scored in their last three meetings in all competitions
• Atletico won just one of last 12 games vs Barcelona (D3 L8)
• Los Colchoneros won 15 of last 18 home games in La Liga (D2 L1)
• Barca are unbeaten in last 8 La Liga matches on the road (W5 D3)

Conclusion

Following Real Madrid’s unexpected defeat, it is fair to say that neither side would be too happy with a share of spoils. Atletico Madrid are in much better mood than the opposition and will attempt to take advantage of that to revive their title bid, so we definitely expect to see yet another Atletico vs Barcelona game where both teams will score.

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker: bet365