Atletico Madrid v Barcelona Betting Preview – La Liga 26th February 3.15pm
It is a big game near the top of the table in the Spanish top flight as this is a top four clash. Atletico Madrid have been on the outskirts of the title challenge this season but they have started to look more like their old selves lately and are on a three match winning streak. This would be a huge three points for them to keep some pressure on the top three. Barcelona haven’t exactly been at their best lately and that could spell trouble for them if they put in a shoddy performance at the Calderon. Huge game and expect some fireworks.
Head over to online betting site Bet365 on Sunday and enjoy a free live stream of this La Liga clash! The bookmaker continuously provides live streams from the Spanish top flight as part of their serve and is just one of the many great football features there. Register an account with them and earn a 100% matched deposit bonus as a welcome and enjoy other top features like each way goalscorer odds and 0-0 bore draw on select markets for all games listed in their sportsbook. Get your account funded and enjoy live streaming and live in-play action as well on Atletico Madrid v Barcelona betting!
Atletico Madrid v Barcelona La Liga Betting Tips
A great game to come on Sunday in the Spanish top flight and Atletico Madrid need to roll out the three points in this one. This is a big test for them because along with Real Madrid and Barcelona, Sevilla have come along and are contesting the top three. Atleti are starting the weekend down in fourth place and are trailing Barcelona by six points. So they are in danger of falling even further back if they lost those. Atletico have posted a good W8 D2 L1 record at home this season in the Spanish top flight and the only side so far to have turned up there and beat them has been their city rivals Real Madrid. They have put together an eight match unbeaten streak at home in La Liga currently and they have won their last four consecutive matches at home too. They have gone five uneaten at the Calderon since the loss against Real Madrid. Overall home and away they have won their last three, but they haven’t won four consecutive games in the Spanish top flight this season yet.
Atleti held out to a 1-1 draw with Barcelona on their trip to the Nou Camp earlier in the season and you have an appealing price of 5/1 on the Bet365 1-1 correct score being returned in this one. With Atletico moving on to a new home, this will be the last ever league contest between the two at the famous old Calderon, so this should be a pretty special occasion for them. It may inspire Atletico to produce something special in this one. However, they are on a six match winless streak (D1 L5) at home against Barcelona though so have to buck some poor form. Star striker Antoine Griezmann has netted three goals in his last two games at home against Barcelona and he is a quote of 11/8 in the anytime goalscorer market with Kevin Gameiro at 6/4. Only Villarreal have conceded more goals than Atletico Madrid in this season’s La Liga and under 2.5 goals on the game at Bet365 will fetch a price of 19/20.
It is fair to say that Barcelona haven’t been at their best particularly lately. They suffered that Champions League humiliating drubbing over at PSG and only a last minute penalty from Lionel Messi last weekend saw them edge past lowly Leganes at home in the Spanish top flight last time out. So they aren’t in top gear at the moment, but then it is hard to knock a side who are on a sixteen match unbeaten streak in the league (W11 D5). Interestingly though four of the five draws in that sequence were all 1-1 draws and three of those four 1-1 draws were out on the road. So again, there should be value in that scoreline. The Catalans are on an eight match unbeaten streak away from home (W5 D3) in La Liga and they are just one point behind leaders Real Madrid but have played a game more than their rivals.
So Barcelona can’t let up. In the Bet365 First Goalscorer market you have Lionel Messi at 15/4 with Luis Suarez at 4/1. Messi has scored 12 goals at Vicente Calderón (11 against Atlético de Madrid and one goal against Athletic Club in the final of the Spanish Copa del Rey in 2012). Only against Sevilla in all competitions has Lionel Messi scored more goal than he has against Atletico Madrid. Suarez, he has five goals in his last six against Atleti. Not an easy game for Barcelona who look a little short of confidence, but they are defending a 13 match unbeaten streak against Atletico Madrid (W10 D3) which is their best ever sequence against their Madrilenian opponents. Barcelona have averaged 3.2 goals per game in their last 15 away fixtures in the league. This would be a huge momentum win for them.
Atletico Madrid v Barcelona La Liga Betting Odds
Barcelona 7/5, Atlético Madrid 9/5, Draw 12/5
Atletico Madrid v Barcelona La Liga Predictions
Atletico did have that extra game in midweek, which may catch up with them in the latter stages of this one. But they have been scoring well lately and are starting to look more of a confident side against. They aren’t tight at the back so look for both teams to score but at the moment, the vulnerabilities are there with Barcelona and it is just a prime time to back Atleti to pull something out and land a valuable three points for themselves.
