Atl. Madrid vs Barcelona prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-03-16 20:00.
[p]Two teams fresh off claiming their spots in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-finals will close out this round of La Liga action, when Atlético Madrid host Barcelona at the Metropolitano Stadium. Both sides had to overcome staunch Italian opposition during the week, with Atlético impressively overturning a one-goal deficit to sneak past Inter Milan on penalties, while Barcelona were clinical in eliminating Napoli 4-2 on aggregate.[/p]
[p]Atlético were in desperate need of that boost as things haven’t gone their way in other competitions recently, emphasised by their Copa del Rey elimination and failing to win two of their last three La Liga outings (D1, L1). It was a relegation-threatened Cádiz side who beat them 2-0 in their last league match, leaving Diego Simeone’s men to fight for their spot in the top four. [/p]
[p]The sight of Barcelona arriving at the Metropolitano Stadium could test Simeone’s tactical wit to the max, since his side have lost each of the last four H2Hs, the last three of which came by a 1-0 scoreline. His counterpart Xavi will be desperate for one last win over Atlético before he leaves at the end of the season, especially as he could be the first Barcelona manager to win five successive La Liga matches against Atlético under Simeone.[/p]
[p]As for the players, their recent exploits is all they should need for encouragement, having pieced together a nine-game unbeaten streak across all competitions (W6, D3). The key to their most recent success has been stifling opposition attacks, with Barça currently enjoying the longest stretch of consecutive La Liga clean sheets (three) of the campaign.[/p]
[p]Key battle: Two men coming up against their former employers will want to have a big impact here, with Atlético’s Antoine Griezmann looking to leverage the feat of scoring nine of his last ten goals at home to net his seventh career goal against Barcelona. João Félix ought to be confident after scoring the only goal in the reverse fixture, contributing to him netting the match winner in five of his seven goalscoring appearances this season. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Barcelona have scored 21 goals after the 75th minute this league season, with only Liverpool (24) scoring more across Europe’s traditional top-five leagues after last weekend.[/p]