The Spanish La Liga will head off to the first international break of 2024 with one of the biggest fixtures in the league as Atletico Madrid and Barcelona go head-to-head at the Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday.
Bookmaker Pinnacle offers odds at 1.826 for over 5.5 bookings in the game and 1.98 for under 5.5 bookings.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: March 16th, 8:30 A.M. (EST)
Following a seven-game unbeaten run, including five wins, Barcelona finds itself back in the title race in Spain, trailing Real Madrid by eight points. However, to keep the momentum going, Xavi’s side needs to get a positive result on Sunday. It will be an extremely difficult task, as Atletico is one of the top home sides in Europe.
With 14 games played at the Metropolitano, Atletico has dropped points only with a 3-3 draw against Getafe in La Liga this season. In fact, Getafe is the lone side to avoid a league defeat away from home against Atleti since January 2023, when an Ousmane Dembele strike gave Barcelona a 1-0 victory. Since then, Atletico has gone on a 25-game unbeaten streak at home, winning 23 matches.
The Atleti attack has been on fire during the run, with the team scoring multiple goals in 20 of the matches, and the defensive play has also improved lately – Diego Simeone’s side has recorded three clean sheets in the last five home league games, conceding just two times in total.
Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata have combined for 25 league goals, while Simeone has also started to get the best out of Memphis Depay. He has just scored a crucial goal in the Champions League, and Memphis will be desperate to make a big mark on Sunday against his former team.
A sharp attack is meeting a fragile defense in Madrid, as Barca has been suspect at the back for most of the campaign. However, the Blaugrana did an impeccable defensive job in this season’s first meeting with Atletico, winning 1-0 in December when Joao Felix took care of the lone goal against his parent club.
Low-scoring affairs have become a real trend in the match-up, with Barcelona winning three consecutive meetings with a 1-0 scoreline and there being two or fewer goals in six of the past seven clashes. The last six head-to-head games in Madrid have procured only nine goals, with both sides winning twice over the stretch.
