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Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction
Atletico Madrid will welcome fierce rivals Barcelona to Riyadh Air Metropolitano on March 26th in what would be a crucial La Liga encounter.
Atletico Madrid will welcome fierce rivals Barcelona to Riyadh Air Metropolitano on March 26th in what would be a crucial, table-deciding encounter on LaLiga match week 28.
Atletico’s quest for a 12th LaLiga title is taking shape, but this season’s race could go down to the wire as Barcelona and table leaders Real Madrid are also in the race.
The Rojiblancos sit in second place in the table as of matchweek 22 and are only one point adrift of Madrid.
As typical of Diego Simeone’s team, their defensive solidity have been evident this season, and they’re not taking any chances as they’re fully aware of how important conceding less will keep them in the race as long as they’re winning.
No other team has lost fewer games than the 11-time LaLiga champions this season, with their only two losses in LaLiga coming against Leganés and Real Betis.
Their remarkable 15-game winning run across all competitions which included eight wins in Laliga played a vital role in keeping their title surge alive.
Among the eight teams they defeated in that run, Barcelona was among those teams on the receiving end of the Rojiblancos’ winning streak, where a 60th-minute Rodrigo De Paul equaliser and a last-gasp Alexander Sorloth goal in stoppage time secured all three points for Atletico in what was a feisty affair at the Metropolitano.
However, the 15-game winning streak was brought to an abrupt end on January 18 against Leganes, where Matija Nastasić’s 49th-minute strike sent fans at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque into ruptures. The goal proved to be the decider of the game to secure only their fifth win of the season to move them further up the table.
Simeone’s side appear to have bounced back since then, winning three of their next four games across all competitions and a draw.
At the time of writing, Atletico are embarking on a remarkable unbeaten streak at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, proving difficult to defeat when playing in front of their spirited home crowd.
This run extended to their most recent game against Mallorca on the opening day of February, as goals from Samuel Lino and Antoine Griezmann in either half were enough to see off their opponents.
The win means that of the 12 games the Rojiblancos have played at home this season, they’ve amassed 30 points and will hope to continue that streak until they meet Barcelona on March 16th.
Tough table-deciding clashes await them as they’ll have to play first-placed Real Madrid on February 8th, fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao on March 3rd, and third-placed Barcelona on March 16th, so fans with Atletico Madrid tickets know this is a pivotal period for the club.
For Barcelona, their blistering start to LaLiga seem to have waned down in recent months.
They began the season with 13 consecutive wins in the league to remain well-placed at the top of the table.
However, losing to Real Sociedad in November, their first loss of the season, initiated the genesis of inconsistent results in their next run of fixtures.
They gave up a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 against Celta Vigo, lost 2-1 to Las Palmas at home, drew 2-2 to Real Betis, lost 1-0 to Leganes, and lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid to mark their third loss at home in five games.
The Catalan giants were only able to record one win in their next six games after losing to Sociedad, and this proved consequential to their lead at the top of the table as Madrid and Atletico usurped Hansi Flick’s side to occupy the first and second positions.
However, the Super Copa Espana wins against Bilbao and Madrid now appear to have inspired them back on track, as they’ve gone unbeaten in their next six games across all competitions, winning four.
With their place in the top two of the inaugural UEFA Champions League League Phase secured, the Blaugrana can now shift their focus to La Liga in the coming months.
A crucial Copa del Rey quarter-final against Valencia awaits, but the primary goal over the next weeks is to remain in the title race and potentially retake the top spot.
Atletico vs Barcelona match details
- Date: March 16th, 2025
- Location: Madrid, Spain
- Venue: Riyadh Air Metropolitano
- Kick-off time: 07:00 PM GMT
- Tickets: You can buy Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona tickets from the clubs or via trusted resellers such as Seatsnet.com.
Match stats and head-to-head
• Atletico have conceded only 14 goals in 22 games in LaLiga this season, the fewest by any team in Spain.
• The Rojiblancos’ two defeats are also the fewest number of defeats recorded by any team in LaLiga, with Madrid (3) and Athletic Club (3) coming close in second.
• No other team in LaLiga have scored more goals than Barcelona this season. The Catalan giants have netted 60 goals this season with a goal difference of 36, the most in the Spanish division.
• Both Atletico and Barcelona have recorded 14 wins after 22 games in LaLiga. However, the Rojiblancos’ two defeats proved to be pivotal in keeping them above their rivals on the table.
• The Blaugrana have won just three of their last ten games in LaLiga, losing four and drawing three.
• Following the 2-0 win over Mallorca on February 1st, Diego Simeone’s side have now extended their total points at home to 30 and have not lost a game at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano at the time of writing.
• Hansi Flick’s side will enter this game at the back of five wins in the last six games against Los Colchoneros.
• The Catalans have won 32 of the last 61 games in this fixture, while Atletico have only managed 14.
• Barcelona have conceded only two goals in their last four games against Atletico in LaLiga.
• In Barcelona’s 1-0 win against Alaves, Lamine Yamal completed 11 of his 21 dribbles against Los Blanquiazules, the most of any player at the club since Lionel Messi in 2007.
Team news
Atletico will have Javi Galan available for selection after serving his suspension while Rodrigo De Paul remains sidelined due to his ban. Both players are expected to be in contention for a starting berth against Barcelona.
Clement Lenglet, who missed the previous draw with Villarreal due to injury, recovered and partnered with Jose Robin Le Normand at centre-back in the win over Mallorca.
Antoine Griezmann, who has netted three goals in his last two games at the time of writing, is poised to maintain his position alongside Julian Alvarez in attack, while Nahuel Molina and Conor Gallagher are both anticipated to feature against Barcelona as their defensive attributes would prove vital to taming the Blaugrana’s razor-sharp attack.
For Barcelona, Gavi was forced off in the first half of the win over Alavés after a heavy collision with Tomás Conechny resulted in a head injury.
Hansi Flick emphasized that the decision to substitute him was made by the medical team, reminding Gavi that caution was necessary once it became clear he would not continue.
Club president Joan Laporta later confirmed he had spoken with the midfielder and that all was well. Barcelona have since announced that the Spaniard has been discharged from the hospital but will remain under medical observation.
Íñigo Martínez has been sidelined since early January with a muscular issue, but the Barcelona defender is nearing the final stages of his recovery. The Spaniard is expected to return to full fitness in the match when they travel to the Spanish capital to face Atletico.
Dani Olmo is expected to return to the squad in the Copa del Rey clash against Valencia.
Marc Bernal and Marc-André ter Stegen continue their long-term recovery from serious knee injuries, while Andreas Christensen is also unavailable at the time of writing due to a muscular problem.
Predicted starting lineups
Atletico Madrid predicted starting lineup:
Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, Barrios, Koke, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez.
Barcelona predicted starting lineup:
Szczęsny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Lewandowski.
Prediction
The race for the LaLiga title is heating up with the top three teams and possibly the fourth closely competing.
Madrid’s loss to 17th-place Espanyol meant that the gap at the top has now been reduced to one for Atletico and four for Barcelona following their respective victories at the weekend.
The clash between Atletico and Barcelona will undoubtedly be a table-deciding clash, and both teams will need to be at their best.
However, the Blaugrana have been dominant in this fixture, but the first-leg loss at home to the Rojiblancos was an indication that they can underrate their opponent’s ability, particularly on the counter.
It’ll be an interesting clash with attacking and defensive strengths on display. Playing at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, where Atletico have not lost a game at the time of writing, will hand them the extra edge in this game.
We’re predicting a 2-1 win for Atletico.
