Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the La Liga match.
Barcelona, who went top of the La Liga after Real Madrid’s slip, will host Atlético Madrid, who can close the gap on them with a win. However, recent head-to-head meetings have clearly not been in the visitors’ favour.
Barcelona
Barcelona have been dominant at home, with seven consecutive wins in the La Liga and an aggregate score of 23:4. In attack, they are also impressive with 39 goals, 20 of which have been scored by Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres. News of the recovery of Pedri González and Raphinha Belloli, who will add creativity and threat in the final third, has especially pleased the fans of the Catalan club. In recent head-to-head matches, they have rarely given Atlético Madrid a chance, with the visitors winning only once and losing seven times in this run.
Atlético Madrid
Atlético Madrid have struggled away from home, with only two wins in eight matches in all competitions. They did win their last two matches in the La Liga, but before that there was a run of three 1:1 draws and a defeat to Espanyol (1:2). In the same period, they also disappointed in England, losing to out-of-form Liverpool (2:3) and strong Arsenal (0:4). Away from home, Atlético Madrid have already conceded 12 goals since the start of the season, whereas at home they have allowed more than one goal only twice in 11 matches (nine goals in total).
Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid Prediction
Barcelona, in good spirits at Camp Nou, are likely to leave Atlético Madrid with no chance, as the visitors are much less convincing away than at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium. The match will be demanding for the hosts, but we expect them to take all three points.
