The La Liga Matchday 28 encounter between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona will be held on March 16 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium. Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Atletico Madrid
The Madrid side suffered their second defeat in the championship this calendar year in the previous round, both times against opponents from the lower half of the table. Playing away, the club lost 0-1 to Getafe, having led during the match, and conceded both goals after the 88th minute. Diego Simeone's men have dropped to third place but are only one point behind the top two leaders. Additionally, Atletico remains the best defensive team in La Liga, having conceded just 18 goals.
- In the last 11 matches in La Liga, Atletico has conceded more than one goal only once.
- No more than two goals have been scored in 7 of Atletico's last 9 league matches.
- The team has won the second half in 11 of their last 14 home matches in La Liga.
Predicted lineup for Atletico Madrid (4-3-3)
Jan Oblak – Nahuel Molina, Jose Maria Gimenez, Javi Galan, Robin Le Normand – Marcos Llorente, Rodrigo De Paul, Samuel Lino – Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez, Giuliano Simeone.
Forward Angel Correa will miss the match due to a five-match suspension.
Barcelona
The Catalans easily dispatched Real Sociedad in their last match, defeating the San Sebastian side 4-0 at home. This victory allowed them to top the league table. Barcelona missed the last round due to a tragedy within the club, and now Carlo Ancelotti's team has caught up with them on points, although the Madrid side has played one more game. It is also worth noting that Barcelona has significantly outpaced their nearest rival in terms of goals scored (by 14 goals).
- The club's winning streak in La Liga stands at six matches.
- Barcelona has opened the scoring in their last eight La Liga matches.
- The Catalans have scored at least two goals in 16 of their last 18 away league matches.
Predicted lineup for Barcelona (4-3-3)
Wojciech Szczesny – Jules Kounde, Gerard Martin, Ronald Araujo, Alex Balde – Marc Casado, Pedri, Dani Olmo – Lamine Yamal, Raphinha Dias, Robert Lewandowski.
Match Prediction: Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona
Both teams will be coming off tough Champions League Round of 16 matches, which will affect the players' freshness. This will also impact the teams' scoring abilities. Furthermore, both clubs will be striving to avoid losing to their closest competitor in the race for the top spot in the league, as a defeat would drop them to third place and allow Real Madrid to capitalize on their slip.
I predict that there will be no more than three goals in this game. Such scoring has occurred in 18 of the last 20 league meetings between these teams. Moreover, in 6 of the last 7 league encounters at Atletico's home ground, a maximum of two goals were scored. I am confident that Atletico, with the best defense in the league, can contain the best attack in La Liga and the Champions League. Additionally, no more than two goals have been scored in Atletico's last six home league matches.
My prediction: Total under 3.5 goals
