Atletico Madrid - Barcelona predictions and free betting tips [17/03/2024]

On Sunday, 17 March, as part of the 29th round of the Spanish La Liga, Madrid's "Atletico" will host "Barcelona" on their home field. Earlier in the week, both teams secured their way to the quarter-finals of the Champions League: The "Los Colchoneros" outperformed Milan's "Inter" via penalties, whilst the Catalans overcame "Napoli" with a 4:2 total score from two matches.

Predicted line-ups

"Atletico": Oblak; Savic, Witsel, Azpilicueta; Molina, Llorente, De Paul, Koke, Lino; Griezmann, Morata.
"Barcelona": Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo; F Lopez, Christensen, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha.

Stadium

The clash will take place in Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

"Atletico"

Just like "Barça", "Atletico" missed the playoffs in the Champions League last season, finishing last in their group. This time is different: last week, the "Los Colchoneros" beat reigning European champions Milan "Inter" in a thrilling match that ended in a penalty shootout. It should be noted that the team from Madrid demonstrated heart and resilience, coming back from a 2:0 deficit thanks to a goal by Memphis Depay. In La Liga, Diego Simeone's charges have been struggling to break into the top four - "Atletico" outpaces the capital's grand club by 1 point.

Last weekend, the hosts unexpectedly stumbled in Cadiz (2:0), even though the "Pirates" had been winning since 1st of September... Furthermore, the mattress makers were knocked out of the Copa Del Rey semi-finals by the "Lions" (0:1 in the first leg, 0:3 in the second). At the same time, "Atletico" holds the best home record in La Liga this season: 40 points have been collected within the walls of Wanda Metropolitano in 14 matches – 13 wins and one draw. 

"Barcelona"

After a four-year absence in the Champions League quarter-finals, "Barcelona" defeated "Napoli" this week (1:1 first leg, 3:1 second leg). The last time the "Blaugrana" played at this stage of the main continental championship was against "Bayern Munich (an 8:2 defeat in Lisbon), marking the worst fiasco in the club's history. In the final eight, the Catalans will face "Paris Saint Germain", the winner of this clash will meet either "Atletico" or "Borussia" in the semi-finals.

The reigning champions of Spain hold the 3rd position in the La Liga table, lagging behind "Girona" by just 1 point. Last weekend, in a home game with "Mallorca", the Blaugrana achieved success thanks to a goal by Jamal (1:0). This victory extended the Catalans' undefeated streak in the championship to seven rounds, including five victories – over "Osasuna" (1:0), "Alaves" (3:1), "Celta" (2:1) and "Getafe" (4:0). "Barça" have performed quite impressively away from home this season, gathering 27 points in 13 away encounters (2nd best record in the division). 

Head-to-head encounters

"Atletico" haven't lost twice to the Catalans in a single La Liga campaign since February 2006, whereas the first round match resulted in a 1:0 victory for "Barça".

Match Prediction "Atletico" vs "Barcelona"

The match against "Inter" was a tough test for the Madrid team as the overtime and penalty shootout lasted late into the night. Having an extra 24 hours of rest, "Barcelona", still in contention for 2nd place or even the title, has all the chances to at least not lose tonight in Madrid: the Catalans are unbeaten in their last nine matches in all competitions.

Goal Total Prediction

"Barça" have found confidence over the past weeks, having failed to make their mark just once in the last 25 matches in all competitions. My bet is on an individual total of over 1 goal for the guests.

Corner Prediction

"Atletico", with the home crowd backing them, will try to exercise power on the field, especially since they need to catch up with "Athletic Bilbao", who hold a 1 point lead. My bet is over 4.5 corners for 'Los Colchoneros'.

Yellow Card Prediction

In all four previous head-to-head matches, the teams amassed over 4 yellow cards, so my prediction is over 4.5 total yellow cards.

Score Prediction

My bet is on an exact score of 2:2.