Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

Preview

Joel Amorim Apr 04, 2016 @ 12:22 am

Next Tuesday, 5th of April 2016, two Spanish powerhouses, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, will measure forces at Camp Nou for the first-leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-finals.

Barcelona splendid undefeated streak is finally over after the Catalan team succumbed at the expense of Real Madrid last Saturday’s night at Camp Nou. Luis Enrique’s men didn’t have the best of times out there and their attempt of controlling the course of the match, soon after opening the score early in the second-half, was an utter failure. Piqué headed home a corner kick by Ivan Rakitic to give Barça the lead, but the visitors still had a word to say and Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a fantastic win for Real Madrid.

The upcoming fixture against Atlético Madrid is extremely important for the Catalan team, especially after last Saturday’s defeat. The last time both sides went head-to-head at the UEFA Champions League, the Colchoneros walked through to the next stage of the competition and this time Barcelona have the opportunity to redeem themselves from such major upset.

For next Tuesday’s match, Luis Enrique will not be able to rely on the services of Adriano, Sandro and Mathieu, who are all sidelined due to injury.

As for Atlético Madrid, the Colchoneros have put up a strong comeback after the defeat at El Molinón before the international break. In almost packed-full Vicente Calderón, Simeone’s Atlético hammered Real Betis by five goals to one and reduced the point gap to league leaders Barcelona to just six points. The usual suspect, Antoine Griezmann netted two goals last Saturday and continues the team’s top scorer with 19 goals so far this season.

For the upcoming important match at Camp Nou, Diego “El Cholo” Simeone will not be able to count on the contribution from Carrasco, Giménez and Tiago, who are all sidelined due to injury. Savic, who is still recovering from a toe injury, is in doubt for the match.

Barcelona

Stats: W-3 L-1 D-1

Recent Form - LDWWW

Atlético Madrid

Stats: W-4 L-1 D-0

Recent Form - WLWWW

Possible Line-ups

Barcelona (4-3-3) - Bravo - Alves - Pique - Mascherano - Alba - Busquets - Iniesta - Rakitic - Neymar - Suárez - Messi

Atlético Madrid (4-4-2) - Oblak - Juanfran - Filipe Luis - Godin - Savic - Koke - Gabi - Niguez - Fernández - Griezmann - Fernando Torres

Injury List / Suspended Players

Barcelona - Adriano (inj) - Sandro (inj) - Mathieu (inj)

Atlético Madrid - Tiago (inj) - Giménez (inj) - Carrasco (inj) - Savic (in doubt)

Head-to-head matches:

League Positions