Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona
There’s no question that Barcelona are favourites to retain their La Liga crown, yet the test that awaits them this Easter weekend is the fixture most likely to threaten that title defence.
Certainly, Hansi Flick and his men will not need reminding about their most recent visit to the Metropolitano when they were hit for four without reply.
That came in the Copa del Rey semi-final and, while Barca almost pulled it back in the second leg, Atletico will meet Real Sociedad in this month’s final.
The key question now is whether they are capable of upsetting the Catalonians for a second time in as many months and damaging their title bid.
Talking Points
While Diego Simeone’s men, a fairly new-look team this term, are no longer the side that could be genuine threats to both Barca and city rivals Real over an entire league campaign, they can be a match for anyone on a one-off occasion.
And that has the potential to spell bad news for the league leaders who will also lock horns with Atletico twice in this month’s Champions League quarter-finals.
Los Rojiblancos will certainly make the cup competitions their priority – and they can afford to.
Their league position is so comfortable that they are highly likely to be back in Europe’s top tier next season, regardless of what happens in the competition this term.
That’s because Atletico sit fourth in the La Liga table, 16 points behind Barcelona yet 13 points clear of fifth-placed Real Betis.
They will be far from full strength this weekend though.
Suspended duo Marcos Llorente and Johnny Cardoso, along with Pablo Barrios (thigh), will definitely miss out, while Jan Oblak (hip), Marc Pubill (rib), Rodrigo Mendoza (ankle) and Alexander Sorloth (head) are regarded as doubts.
While they have stronger numbers to call upon, Barcelona have a key absentee of their own after Raphinha suffered a hamstring injury while representing Brazil during the international break (a blow the club was understandably less than pleased about).
Andreas Christensen is missing long-term due to a serious knee injury, while Frenkie de Jong (hamstring) remains out, although the Dutch midfielder is reportedly close to a return.
Barcelona are in pole position to deliver La Liga 2026 highlights but even a weakened Atletico cannot be taken lightly.
History
Over the past 12 months, the teams have met four times in league and cup with Barca winning three of them.
Ferran Torres netted the only goal of their Copa del Rey semi-final second leg this time last year to seal a 5-4 aggregate success (Barca went onto clinch the league and cup double).
They also won the league encounter in the Nou Camp in December when Raphinha, Dani Olmo and Torres scored the goals in a 3-1 win after Alex Baena had opened the scoring for the visitors.
Their two one-sided Copa del Rey semi-finals recently saw an early own goal set Atletico on their way to a dream night as Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julian Alvarez all found the net in the first half to open up a 4-0 advantage.
Marc Bernal’s double, and a Raphinha penalty, threatened a second leg comeback but Atletico would not be breached for a fourth time.
The Catalan outfit are unbeaten against the Red and Whites away from home in the league since October 2021, and they will bring an eight-game unbeaten run into this match, including a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in their last league game.
Going back to the Copa last year, the first leg of their semi-final produced an epic first leg with a last-gasp goal from Sorloth sealing a 4-4 draw.
Momentum swung back and forth with former Manchester City attacker Alvarez stunning the hosts after just 50 seconds and Griezmann adding a second soon after.
The hosts recovered from their sluggish start with a Pedri finish and a Pau Cubarsi header drawing them level with 19 minutes on the clock.
Another first-half header from Inigo Martinez and a second-half finish from Robert Lewandowski appeared to have set Flick’s team on the way to a win, before Atletico mounted a comeback of their own.
Llorente got a third for Simeone’s side late on, before substitute Sorloth clinched a dramatic draw in the third minute of added time.
Atletico have only won five of their last 26 meetings, all over a couple of seasons, including a Spanish Super Cup thriller at the start of 2020.
They will also remember fondly the Champions League quarter-finals in 2016, played at their former Vicente Calderon ground, when two first half goals from Griezmann sealed a 2-0 success and a 3-2 aggregate win to send the holders crashing out after they had won the first leg 2-1.
Overall, Barcelona have triumphed in 40 of their 75 matches with 19 Atletico successes and 16 draws.
Betting Tip
I think Barca will edge this and I’m going for a narrow away win with the SBOTOP La Liga 2026 betting odds – my ** tip is Asian Handicap Barcelona -0.75 @ 2.53.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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