Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid prediction, odds and preview

Barcelona hosts Atlètico Madrid at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday evening in what is likely to be one of the key matches in Spain this season.

Atlètico are level on points with Barcelona with 31 points apiece but sit in third place with a game in hand against Sevilla while the Catalans sit in fourth place after 14 matches.

Diego Simeone’s men approach this match off the back of a convincing 3-1 win over Feyenoord in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

For the first time since the 2020/2021 season, Barcelona booked qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League after a strong performance at home against Porto.

However, the Catalans have been far from convincing in La Liga in recent matches despite securing a 2-1 comeback over Alaves and sharing the spoils with Rayo Vallecano at Vallecas last week.

Meanwhile, Atlètico have been impressive in the league with five wins in their last six matches and will look to sting rivals Barcelona away from home to keep their title hopes alive.

Barca have the upper hand ahead of the clash with three wins and a draw against Atlètico, suffering only one defeat in their last five matches at the hands of Simeone’s men.

The biggest blow for Barcelona could be goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen who is suffering from a back injury and could be replaced by Inaki Peña who was crucial in the Catalans’ Champions League win in midweek.

The visitors will be without Thomas Lemar and Vitolo at the Olympic Stadium but will be confident with Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata leading their attack.

The clash comes off at 8:00 p.m.