Atletico Madrid take on the visitors Barcelona in the round 28 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Sunday, March 16th at Metropolitano Stadium (Madrid).
Atlético finished below Girona last season, yet still managed to secure a top-four spot. However, that experience seemed to push the club into action, as they spent the summer ruthlessly overhauling the squad without much concern for costs. The result has been clear progress overall, but tangible silverware remains elusive. In the Champions League, they were drawn against Real Madrid in the Round of 16, losing away but earning revenge at home—only to suffer a heartbreaking exit on penalties. Their Copa del Rey semifinal clash with Barcelona turned into a wild 4-4 draw at the Camp Nou. Meanwhile, La Liga has been more competitive than ever, with Atlético caught in a fierce battle for positioning. Last weekend, Diego Simeone’s men stumbled, suffering a surprising defeat to city neighbors Getafe. Despite this setback, their home form remains a key strength, as they’ve dropped very few points at the Metropolitano this season.
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Barcelona are strong but extremely inconsistent. The Blaugrana remain in an incredibly fragile financial state and could only watch as Atlético made big summer signings. Despite this, new head coach Hansi Flick was given no leeway in expectations—especially since their only significant signing, Dani Olmo, arrived with registration challenges. However, the German has already delivered one trophy, winning the Supercopa de España in style with commanding victories over Athletic Club and Real Madrid. In the Champions League, Barcelona made things unnecessarily difficult for themselves in the Round of 16 but still managed to beat Benfica despite going down to ten men. They then handled the second leg with minimal trouble. Now, the focus shifts to La Liga, where Real Madrid’s recent stumbles allowed them to reclaim the top spot heading into the spring. However, their last match against Osasuna was abruptly postponed after the tragic passing of the club’s long-time team doctor. The break may have helped the squad recover some much-needed energy ahead of this crucial showdown.
Before their dramatic cup draw, Atlético had edged Barcelona in La Liga back in December. However, prior to that, the Catalans had won five consecutive meetings. The visitors seem strong enough to finally claim a victory in this fixture—taking the risk on a Barcelona win looks like the best option.
Prediction for the match: Barcelona to win.
