Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Betting Preview

Kick off: Wednesday, April 13, 19:45 GMT

Venue: Estadio Vicente Calderon (Madrid)

Head to head record

Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid 2-1 (2015/2016 Champions League)
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid 2-1 (2015/2016 La Liga)
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona 1-2 (2015/2016 La Liga)
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona 0-1 (2014/2015 La Liga)
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona 2-3 (2014/2015 Copa del Rey)

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona prediction

Ten-man Atletico Madrid dropped a one-goal lead in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, first leg, against Barcelona and, as a result, los Rojiblancos face a must-win situation in the return leg at their Estadio Vicente Calderon. Barca are favourites on paper to make it to the Champions League semis, but Diego Simeone’s men should not be underestimated.

Unlucky defeat at Camp Nou

Atletico Madrid proved their worth in the Camp Nou clash, but experienced attacker picked up a second yellow card and his mistake eventually proved fatal for the capital club. Los Rojiblancos suffered a 2-1 loss to Barcelona in the first leg, meaning that this has to go down as a must-win game for Diego Simeone’s troops. Atletico Madrid are tough to beat at their Estadio Vicente Calderon and it has to be noted that they managed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last three home fixtures in the Champions League. As usually, Diego Simeone’s team will rely on their rock-solid defence in Wednesday’s all-Spanish encounter, but the hosts need to score in the return leg if they are to advance to the semis of the elite competition. Antoine Griezmann found the net in a 3-1 win over Espanyol at the weekend and the former Real Sociedad man is likely to prove a handful for the opposition back line.

Tiago Mendes is sidelined with injury, while Jose Gimenez and Stefan Savic are both doubtful. Fernando Torres misses the game through suspension, but coach Diego Simeone has no other selection worries ahead of the visit of Barca.

Just one more step

Barcelona came from behind to record the 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final at their Camp Nou. The Catalan giants produced a thrilling performance in the second half of the match, but it is well known that they faced the ten-man Rojiblancos in the last 60 minutes of the game. Barca are determined to defend the trophy they won last season, but Wednesday’s game against Atletico Madrid will be anything but a walk in the park for Luis Enrique’s troops. The defending champions have been struggling to find their form in La Liga of late, with the team failing to emerge triumphant in previous three league fixtures, but you should bear in mind that Luis Enrique used the Real Sociedad game to rest several first–team regulars. The MSN trio is fit and despite the fact that Leo Messi does not seem to be at the top of his game at the moment, the Catalan outfit are widely expected to score in the return leg.

Thomas Vermaelen has joined Jeremy Mathieu in the recovery room, while Rafinha Alcantara is doubtful and he will be monitored ahead of the kick-off. Aleix Vidal remains a doubt. Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez both return to the starting line-up.

Interesting Facts

• Barcelona are undefeated in last eight meetings with Atletico Madrid
• Barca are on a ten-match unbeaten run in the Champions League
• Atletico Madrid defeated Barca in their last meeting in the elite competition (1-0)
• Rojiblancos did not concede in last four home games in the Champions League
• Luis Suarez scored three goals in last two meetings with Atletico

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona betting pick

Only a win counts for Atletico Madrid in Wednesday’s Champions League clash and seeing that Barcelona coach Luis Enrique can count on all of his key attackers for the Estadio Vicente Calderon showdown, I believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. In previous three meetings between Barca and Atletico both sides found the net.

Pick: Both teams to score

Odds: 4/5