Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid
30th June 210hrs
Football – Spain – La Liga
Pick Draw
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: 13/5 odds taken 2000 GMT, Monday 29 June
It’s second versus third in La Liga on Tuesday as Barcelona go in search of a much needed win against an Atletico Madrid team who are in their best form of the season.
Table of Contents
Barcelona Preview – Can Barca find a big performance to revive their flagging title hopes?
It’s been far from an enjoyable season for the current Spanish champions to this point. A series of lacklustre and underwhelming performances led to the sacking of Ernesto Valverde despite the fact Barcelona were top of the league at the time. Ironically, a 3-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup back in January was Valverde’s final act.
A number of failed approaches to appoint his successor followed before Qique Setien was the surprise choice. And it”s fair to say that Setien is not having the impact or success he or those appointed would have hoped for.
Saturday’s 2-2 draw away to Celta Vigo was the second time in three games where Barca have dropped points, giving Real Madrid an advantage in the title race. There also appears to be furthering unrest between the coaching staff and players which – on top of tensions between the board and players – indicates just how problematic the club has become in recent years.
Two points is not an insurmountable deficit by any means, especially with six games to go, but there is a lack of faith and confidence in Barca being able to turn in the level of performance – on a consistent basis – that they require in order to overtake Real should their rivals slip-up.
Atletico Madrid Preview – Will Atleti continue their good form and make it five wins in a row?
Before resumption of La Liga, Atletico Madrid had a lot of work to do in order to finish in the top four and qualify for next season’s Champions League. That was the minimum requirement for a team who have been assembled to be much closer to the top two than they are. As we come to expect from Diego Simeone’s teams, though, they are resilient and have put together a run of form which has got them back in control.
A draw away to Atheltic Bilbao in the first game back has been followed by four straight wins where they have scored nine goals and conceded just one. It’s very much the blueprint for success at Atleti under Simeone.
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That run of form has put them into third place and four points clear of Sevilla in fourth. More importantly, they are seven points ahead of fifth placed Villareal. It’s a very dominant position and would have to take a dramatic collapse to see them fail to finish in the Champions League spots now.
Simeone will be demanding that his team continue this run of form and look to make it five straight wins in the league for the first time since the beginning of 2018.
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid Betting Advice
These two teams are very familiar with each other and it’s now a well established rivalry. Barca are undoubtedly struggling for anything close to their best form. And they are struggling to find an identity under Setien. Their home form is excellent, however, winning 15 and drawing one. That draw was against Real Madrid.
Atletico are not prolific winners on their travels either with only five victories in 16 matches. So despite their improvement it’s not a record which inspires confidence they can be the first visiting team to win the Camp Nou.
Key Facts – Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid Betting Tip
- Two successive away draws leave Barca in second place, trailing Real by two points
- Atletico are looking to win their fifth straight league game for the first time in over two years
- This is the third meeting of the season with both teams winning a game each
If Barca are to drop further points then you find it difficult to imagine them being able to win the title. Their recent form and internal struggles, however, combined with Atletico’s doggedness, could see them struggle to win this one, too.
A draw is definitely a better result for the visitors and with 13 already in the league, Atletico can frustrate their hosts and add another one to that total.
