La Liga leaders Barcelona will look to continue their unhindered march towards the league title when they host top-four chasing Atletico Madrid this Sunday.
With no European games, the hosts enjoyed an entire week on the training field. That extended time of rest and recuperating may have arrived at the perfect time for Barcelona as they look to bounce back from a three-game scoreless and winless run (D2, L1).
That winless run included a goalless La Liga draw at Getafe last Sunday.
Despite the result, Barca’s eleven-point lead at the top of the table ahead of this round remains comfortable.
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However, if their scoring woes aren’t addressed and Real Madrid keeps picking up points, it won’t be long before the title race is back on.
A return home could be a blessing as Barça have scored in 12 of their last 13 league games here, averaging over two per game. However, they won’t be short of motivation either, as the hosts stand a chance to win both seasonal H2Hs for the first time since the 2015/16 campaign, having won the reverse fixture 1-0.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid will travel to Camp Nou in beast mode, having gone unbeaten across 13 league games (W10, D3). That run includes six straight wins that consolidated their top-three spot.
This has softened the blow of dropping out of Europe and getting knocked out of the Copa del Rey, although a win here could receive the biggest cheer from their arch-rivals Real Madrid. Yet, the visitors still have much to aim for, sitting just two points shy of Real ahead of the weekend.
However, this fixture hasn’t been kind to them in recent years, with Atlético failing to win an away La Liga head-to-head since February 2006 (D5, L11 since).
But four wins from their last five league road trips (D1) suggest the visitors are well prepared this time and will take the 1-0 scoreline recorded in three of those victories.
Meanwhile, given how tight Barcelona have been at home, we expect a low-scoring encounter in this game. Click here to get expert football predictions.
