Read our prediction for Barcelona vs Atl. Madrid below. This preview was written by a sport journalist who is specialised in betting tips and predictions. Use our betting tips for the match between Barcelona vs Atl. Madrid and you can increase your winnings!
Barcelona vs Atl. Madrid Prediction & Betting tips
In the King Abdullah Sports City in Saudi Arabian Jeddah, the Spanish Supercopa will be competing this week. In the semi-final, reigning champion FC Barcelona of Frenkie de Jong will take on the Valencia of Jasper Cillessen, the cup winner of last season.
FC Barcelona:
At first glance, there is not much going on at FC Barcelona. The Catalan football giant managed to hibernate in the Champions League, is in the lead in La Liga, and is engaged in a series of twelve undefeated games in a row. Nevertheless trainer Ernesto Valverde is under heavy pressure. The statistics of the Blaugrana are far below par. With only forty points from nineteen league matches, FC Barcelona is busy with its worst season since 2007-2008. This is mainly due to the poor rear-guard, because the last time the team had 23 goals in the middle of the season was sixteen years ago! The dissatisfaction of the supporters therefore makes perfect sense. The Spanish Supercopa is of course not a real top prize for a club like FC Barcelona, but silverware is exactly what Valverde needs to take away the pressure around his person.
It is that FC Barcelona has access to the very best player in the world. Even at the age of 32, Lionel Messi and his buddy Luis Suarez make the difference almost every week. The South American attacking duo are good for 24 goals and thirteen assists in La Liga, which means that they are directly involved in more than 75 percent of all Catalan league hits. However, the rest of the team is short for the level that FC Barcelona pursues. You can also question your Catalan purchasing policy. Antoine Griezmann does not fit into the FC Barcelona system, and the team already has Sergio Busquets in Frenkie de Jong’s favorite position. Valverde now uses Dutch talent mainly as a sort of playmaker who regularly has to appear in the opponent’s penalty area, but his qualities are not there at all. Players such as Arturo Vidal and youth product Riqui Puig are much more suitable for such a role. De Jong took his very first red card of his career last weekend in the derby against Espanyol (2-2), and it would not surprise me if he would temporarily lose his base position after his suspension. Incidentally, he is not suspended for the Supercopa, and he can just take action on Thursday evening. FC Barcelona will have to do without the injured goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who stayed in Spain.
Atletico Madrid:
Also at Atletico Madrid this season is by no means rose and moonshine, although the red and white with four victories in a row are working on a nice series. With 35 points and a third place, the Madrid players are again short of season this season to really put FC Barcelona and Real Madrid on fire. In particular, the lack of scoring ability causes trainer Diego Simeone headaches, because if you manage to make the net only 22 times in 19 rounds in La Liga, you know you will have a hard time. Joao Felix in particular is disappointing. The Portuguese super talent was presented with a lot of bombing this summer in the Wanda Metropolitano, but with only two goals and an assist predecessor, Antoine Griezmann, he has not been able to forget. The fact that Atletico Madrid did not have to drop out in the Spanish title fight is mainly due to goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who also last weekend at home against Levante (2-1 win) with some formidable saves dragged his team through the fire.
Anyway Atletico Madrid remains a team that is incredibly difficult to beat. The team of Simeone is always at the forefront of the fight and, despite the offensive problems, had to compete in only two of its nineteen league games this season. In addition to Oblak, Angel Correa has also been in good shape in recent weeks. The Argentinian wing was striking both against Real Betis (1-2 win) and Levante (2-1 win), plus he never loses sight of his defensive duties. With that he has grown into one of the eye apples of Simeone.
Barcelona vs Atl. Madrid head to head matches
01.12.19 LL Atl. Madrid Barcelona 0 : 1
06.04.19 LL Barcelona Atl. Madrid 2 : 0
24.11.18 LL Atl. Madrid Barcelona 1 : 1
04.03.18 LL Barcelona Atl. Madrid 1 : 0
14.10.17 LL Atl. Madrid Barcelona 1 : 1