Atletico finally in top form?
Atletico Madrid meet FC Barcelona and it is a duel of big names. In purely performance terms, however, that only applies to one of the two teams this season. That’s why the Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona prediction points to a tough game for the hosts.
The visitors from Barcelona are favourites in this match. This is not surprising, after the entire squad was retreaded in the summer and a lot of money flowed over the counter. The Catalans also lead the table in La Liga, Atletico are already relatively far away.
The fact that an Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona tip is not entirely easy purely in terms of determining the winner is also due to the absence of Lewandowski, the weak derby recently and the fact that the Colchoneros can always be good for a surprise on a good day, especially at home.
Atletico Madrid – Statistics & current form
Atletico Madrid were supposed to be looking towards title contention again this season, but it doesn’t look like that at the moment. The Colchoneros are not playing good football. Whereby, that was not always the case in the last few years either, but many typical elements, namely compactness, efficiency and the irrepressible will to win games and to do it in the end, are missing this season.
The situation, however, sounds more dramatic than the table indicates. Coach Diego Simeone’s team is in fourth place in La Liga. However, even with a win against FC Barcelona, the gap to the Catalans would still be large, at eight points. At least there was a win in the Copa del Rey at Real Oviedo during the week (2:0), so the next round could be booked. The question before the game against Barça is now what face Atletico will show.
They have recently won four matches in a row, but this is also somewhat disguised by the fact that they had previously lost five matches in a row. In addition, Atletico Madrid were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League at the bottom of the group. Many voices are now calling for the coaching legend Simeone to be reconsidered. At the very least, he should be ticked off.
Atletico Madrid must wear down opponents
The most surprising aspect of Atletico Madrid is their defence. In recent years, the Colchoneros have been almost insurmountable in their best phases. 14 goals conceded in 15 games is not a bad record now either, but they conceded nine goals in six games in the Champions League, and they also scored only 23 goals in the league. An offence that scores few goals needs a very well secured defence behind it.
That has been lacking this season and so only about half of the games in the league have been won. At home, the average of 1.57 points per game is even worse than away from home (2.0). And now one of the most stable teams is coming to Madrid to secure the three points.
Whether they succeed depends on many factors. Due to the omens, however, our prediction before the Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona match is that the visitors will at least not lose and that less than 3.5 goals will be scored.
Predicted Atletico Madrid line-up:
Oblak – Molina, Gimenez, Savic, Reguilon – Kondogbia, de Paul, Kokę, Llorente – Joao Felix, Griezmann
Last matches played by Atletico Madrid:
Copa del Rey
05/01/2023 – Real Oviedo 0 – 2 Atletico Madrid
La Liga
30/12/2022 – Atletico Madrid 2 – 0 Elche
Copa del Rey
23/12/2022 – CD Arenteiro 1 – 3 Atletico Madrid
Club friendlies
14/12/2022 – Ponferradina 2 – 4 Atletico Madrid
Copa del Rey
13/11/2022 – SD Almazan 0 – 2 Atletico Madrid
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
After many changes in the summer, FC Barcelona have at least stabilised in the league. In the Champions League, the Catalans were eliminated in the group stage again, but in La Liga things are looking good. Particularly noticeable is the good defence, because with only six goals conceded, the visitors have the best defensive line in the league.
Recently, however, the club struggled a lot, playing away at CF Intercity in the Copa del Rey and, after a 3-3 draw in regulation time, having to go into extra time, where Ansu Fati scored the decisive goal as a joker. So it is true for the Catalans that not everything is going according to plan yet, even if the path seems to be the right one.
Robert Lewandowski, in particular, showed his flair for goals, scoring 13 in the league already. However, he will be suspended against Atletico Madrid, which could have an impact on the offensive game. However, with 34 goals scored in total, Barcelona have plenty of other attacking players to choose from who can be dangerous.
Barcelona: The form curve is right
In general, the current form curve is definitely right for the Catalans. Barcelona are unbeaten for six games, losing only one of their last nine games, that was at FC Bayern in the Champions League. Apart from the Clasico at Real Madrid, this team hasn’t lost a game in the league yet anyway.
The hurdle Atletico have to overcome first, though. The hosts will be very compact, Barcelona will also want to focus on their own defence and not run into the open knife. The offensive line-up, meanwhile, will be fluid, which should come as no surprise without the clear number nine. Therefore, before the Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona match, our value tip is that not both teams will score and an exciting match should be expected.
Predicted line-up of Barcelona:
Ter Stegen – Bellerin, Araujo, Koundé, Balde – Busquets, de Jong, Pedri – Dembele, Ansu Fati, Torres
Last matches played by Barcelona:
Copa del Rey
05/01/2023 – CF Intercity 3 – 4 FC Barcelona
La Liga
31/12/2022 – FC Barcelona 1 – 1 Espanyol
09/11/2022 – Osasuna Pamplona 1 – 2 FC Barcelona
06/11/2022 – FC Barcelona 2 – 0 Almeria
Champions League Grp. C
02/11/2022 – Viktoria Pilsen 2 – 4 FC Barcelona
Atletico Madrid – Barcelona Direct comparison / H2H Balance
96 matches in direct comparison were won by FC Barcelona. 52 times there was no winner, in 69 duels Atletico Madrid could cheer at the end. In the pre-season, there was a home win in each case, in Barcelona with 4:2, in Madrid with 2:0.In the last six league games, there were two wins per team and two draws.
Atletico Madrid – Barcelona Tip
Atletico Madrid will be looking to upset one of the big favourites for the title and inflict a defeat on Barcelona. For that to happen, however, the hosts will have to play to their limit and that hasn’t been the case too often this season
Because of the omens, our tip before the Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona match is that the visitors will not lose and that the total will be less than 3.5 goals.
