Atl. Madrid vs Barcelona prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-01-07 20:00.
Atlético Madrid made it four consecutive competitive wins with a 2-0 midweek Copa del Rey victory, even as João Félix’s club future remains a hot topic, but manager Diego Simeone knows that his team needs to continue avoiding distractions. As they start this La Liga (LL) round in the top four, but with very few points separating multiple challengers, Atlético can’t afford to let their indifferent six-game league form (W2, D2, L2) see them slip in the standings.
Simeone may be worried about facing Barcelona, with his personal H2H win rate of 16% across all competitions (W5, D11, L16) his worst against any single club with a minimum of five matches, but consecutive home LL H2H wins with clean sheets give him cautious optimism of improving that percentage. Another clean sheet may be a tough act to follow though, as their 2-0 win over Elche last round was their only clean sheet at the Metropolitano this league campaign.
Barcelona needed extra time to defeat third-tier club Intercity during their midweek Copa del Rey game, following a fiery 1-1 derby draw against Espanyol. The latter was just the third time that Barça dropped points this league campaign (W12, D2, L1), cancelling their two-point lead over Real Madrid. It has left manager Xavi feeling “uneasy” about not only their title race but a matchup his club have won just once from their last five attempts (D2, L2) in a LL context.
A win will be high on Barça’s New Year’s wish list, and having remained unbeaten in four previous top-flight H2Hs (W3, D1) when facing AtlĂ©tico in their first game of a calendar year, there’s reason to believe. Recent away form further raises hopes as Barça have lost just once on the road this league campaign (W6) – although that defeat came in Madrid!
Players to watch: Antoine Griezmann may have a point to prove to old employers Barcelona as he looks to add to his three assists in his last two games. In the absence of Robert Lewandowski, Barça may need Ousmane Dembélé to be at his creative best to notch a personal-first league H2H win (D2, L1).
Hot stat: No LL side has picked up fewer points than Atlético (D1, L4) after falling behind at any stage.