Sunday Evening presents a blockbuster of La Liga action as two the heavyweights in Spain meet as Atletico Madrid welcome Barcelona to the Metropolitan. This encounter will be the final meeting this season and will pose massive indications on where these two sides will finish come the end of this lengthy season.
Atletico Madrid
The hosts are coming off an remarkable win as they edged past Inter in the round 16 on Wednesday night, culminating to an pulsating Champions League game. Turning their eyes on La Liga action, Atletico’s recent form has dropped, with three wins in their last 10 games in all competitions. Last week they failed to maintain their 3-game unbeaten run as they were halted and beaten by Cadiz 2-0.
Maybe on Sunday Diego Simone’s men can rise to the challenge once gain at their fierce ground of the Metropolitano. Many fans regard the venue as a cauldron, In which they hold an impressive home record with 13 wins in 14 home matches played this season in La Liga. The one time failed to register a win was a draw, a stellar home record that proves the arduous task of winning at Metropolitano. A win for Atletico would edge them a step closer to cementing their qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League Campaign.
Barcelona
The visitors are unbeaten in their last nine games in all competitions and in their previous league outing, registered a 1-0 home win over Mallorca. Wonderkid Lamine Yamal who is slowly becoming a household name in Catalonia recorded his name on the scoresheet as he scored the sole goal of the match.
Barcelona continue their winning run with an impressive win to send off Italian champions Napoli out of the Champions League. The win ensured a next round qualification for Barcelona into the quarter-finals for the first time in four years. Summer signing Joao Cancelo had remarkable performances as he scored in the first half alongside Robert Lewandowski and Fermin Lopez.
The Spanish Champions are currently off pace for a 27th La Liga title as they are 11 points behind rivals and League Leaders Real Madrid. Who extended their points gap with a 4-2 win over Osusana. A win tomorrow could maybe swing Barcelona back into the title picture as dark horses and provide them the final push for last stretch of the season.
Head to Head record
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The two teams have a long-standing rivalry and have crossed paths 241 times in all competitions. As expected, the visitors have 109 wins to their name. The hosts have got the better of the visitors 76 times and 56 games have ended in draws.
- Atletico Madrid have enjoyed an unbeaten run at home in La Liga this season, recording 13 wins in 14 games. The visitors meanwhile, are unbeaten in away matches in La Liga.
- Barcelona are on a four-game winning streak against Atletico , keeping three consecutive clean sheets.
- The visitors have outscored the hosts 57-54 in 28 league games and the hosts have conceded three fewer goals than the Catalans
Team News
Atletico Madrid do not have new absentees for this match however, alterations are expected in the starting lineup. With this being noted, the hosts are expected to field the same starting XI in their previous match vs Inter Milan.
Injuries have been piling up recently for Barcelona but Ronald Araujo returns from a suspension and should regain his place in the starting XI. Pau Cubarsi is likely to partner up with him after an impressive performance against Napoli on Tuesday
Match Information
- Game kicks off at 20:00 GMT | 21:00 CET| 15:00 ET | 12:00 PST
- Venue - Wanda Metropolitano
- Event - LA Liga.