Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona

Barcelona have a tough test to keep hold of their top spot in the La Liga table as they travel to the Spanish capital to take on an in-form Atletico Madrid.

The Spanish international has carried over his good World Cup form back with him to Atletico Madrid and is primed for a big second-half run. Add in Barcelona's propensity to collapse after the break, there's plenty of meat on this bone. Even when not scoring, Morata does his best to find the back of the net, ripping off five shots against CD Arenteiro in the Copa del Rey and putting four of them on target. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are in good form and have achieved results against Barcelona in the recent past. Most recently, they were scoreless at the break against Elche at home before a pair of second-half goals produced a 2-0 victory. From an attacking standpoint, Barcelona are a more evenly-weighted team between the first and second halves than most sides, but otherwise, everything points towards a second-half show. — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) They won't get nearly that same volume of opportunities in this match, and without Lewandowski's presence, their goalscoring abilities will be reduced further. They have also not conceded a single goal with Lewandowski off the field this season. Barcelona are coming off a wild and nervy 4-3 win in the Copa del Rey over Intercity FC that required extra time to complete. Part of that will be down to the individual players available for selection. Still, a 2-0 victory over Elche in their league return from the World Cup break last weekend is a positive start towards a more consistent showing domestically.

We go over everything you need to know for Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona on Matchday 16.

They’re coming off a 2-0 win over Elche thanks to goals from Joao Felix and Morata, marking Morata’s sixth goal of the season as he takes the lead over Griezmann, who sits with five. Barca got off to a rocky start after the World Cup break, logging a 1-1 draw with 16th-place Espanyol on Saturday thanks to a penalty kick in the 73rd minute. Barca barely sit on top of the league, tied on points with [Real Madrid](https://www.managingmadrid.com) but ahead on goal differential as they’re coming off a 1-1 draw against Espanyol on New Year’s Eve.

Here is all you need to know before Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona La Liga game at the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday.

The game can also be streamed on the Voot Select app. When will Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona be played? “They’ve been changing systems and it’s hard to predict how his team will play.

WELCOME TO THE WANDA METROPOLITANO!!! The spectacular home of Atlético Madrid in the Spanish capital is the site of a huge La Liga clash between the hosts ...

This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another. This should be fun, and you’re welcome to join us to follow and comment all the action. WELCOME TO THE WANDA METROPOLITANO!!!

Soccer expert Jon Eimer has locked in his La Liga best bets for Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona on Sunday.

- Atletico vs. [Visit SportsLine now to see the best bets for the Barcelona vs. Atletico have the fourth-most goals in La Liga (23) and have conceded the fourth-fewest (14). Eimer has broken down Sunday's Barcelona vs. He is leaning Under the goal total and has two confident best bets and offers his full breakdown. Atletico lead the league in tackles (288) and tackles won (174) and are fifth in blocks (154) and should frustrate Barcelona's attackers. [head to SportsLine to see the picks](https://www.sportsline.com/insiders/spanish-la-liga-atletico-madrid-vs-barcelona-odds-picks-predictions-best-bets-for-sundays-match-from-proven-soccer-expert/#ttag=01072023_agg_cbssports_picks_soccer_laliga_joneimer_barcelonaatleticomadrid). Barca have been one of the most dominant teams in the league all season and have allowed an astonishing six goals in 15 matches. The Red and Whites are 3-2-1 in their past six meetings with Barcelona, including a 2-0 league victory last season at Wanda Metropolitano. Caesars Sportsbook lists Barcelona as +145 favorites (risk $100 to win $145) in its latest Atletico Madrid vs. Before locking in any Barcelona vs. Eimer, widely known as "Buckets," is a high-volume bettor who has vast knowledge of leagues and players across the globe.

Barcelona have a fantastic chance to build a gap atop the Spanish top flight as they visit Atletico Madrid in a Sunday La Liga showdown.

Part of that will be down to the individual players available for selection. His ban was put off briefly for appeal, allowing him to take part in the draw with Espanyol last weekend, but it was upheld in court, so he is out of action for three games. Sergio Busquets was the biggest question mark, as the 34-year-old will want to avoid overuse, but he starts, interestingly alongside Frenkie de Jong in a new look 4-4-2 formation. The biggest question for Diego Simeone was how to deploy his three attackers in Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata, and Joao Felix. 95 mins to kickoff: The Blaugrana are struggling for defenders at the moment thanks to a few injuries. Diego Simeone has a number of players to choose from in midfield, one of the more fascinating lineup situations on either side of this match. Change.— OptaJose (@OptaJose) Pedri — 10. Ter Stegen (GK) — 23. Carrasco — 8. – The Blaugrana suddenly find themselves with a glorious opportunity after Real Madrid, level on points for the moment, fell to Villarreal just a day before.

Diego Simeone is hoping to knock Xavi off of the Spanish summit.

I think that this one will be extremely tight and that both sides will struggle to create too many chances. Barcelona: Jordi Alba and Robert Lewandowski are both suspended which is a big blow given that the Blaugrana believed that they had done enough to overturn the Poland international's ban. Atletico Madrid welcome Barcelona in La Liga on Sunday in a clash which could see Xavi's men retain top spot or potentially lose it with Diego Simeone's men looking to get back into the top three.

Live updates as Atlético Madrid host Barcelona at the Cívitas Metropolitano, Madrid, in LaLiga today, Sunday 8 January 2022. Kick-off: 3pm ET.

However, Spain’s Administrative Court for Sport (TAD) has since confirmed the striker’s suspension. Tonight's opponents Barcelona are joint-top of the standings with Real Madrid on 38 points. Tonight will be Atlético's first home game of the new year. The Barcelona team is in early tonight. We will enjoy the game, because it will be very good”. Atlético have set up in a 5-3-2 formation. Simeone clearly believes in him. He strikes it well but Oblak gets down to his left to save it. It's whipped into the box but Pedri takes it away from the area on the left with some nice dribbling. The latter smacks the side netting with his effort. Barcelona are able to deal with it as they look to take their 1-0 lead into half-time. It falls to Molina again on the right.

Atleticos starting XI Diego Simeone gives young Pablo Barrios a start in midfield while Joao Felix and Griezmann are entrusted to provide the goals. A.

Attempt blocked. The LaLiga Santander meeting between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona will take place at the Estadio Civitas Metropolitano on Sunday, January 8. Ansu Fati (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. For American viewers, the LaLiga Santander clash will begin at 15:00 ET/12:00 PT. Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is blocked. Balde comes in for Alba. but there is no VAR check. This Sunday's match between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona kicks off at 21:00 CET, the local time in Spain. Young Barrios has the first shot on target. Barcelona, on the other hand, are still reeling from their 1-1 draw with Espanyol which was marred by Mateu Lahoz's late show. Attempt missed.

Catch the LIVE score and updates from the Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona La Liga match at the Wanda Metropolitano.

The game can also be streamed on the Voot Select app. “They’ve been changing systems and it’s hard to predict how his team will play. Barcelona is on top of the La Liga table. Could be a costly miss for the Catalans. This will be Atletico’s first home game of 2023. Under five minutes to go for the start.

Ousmane Dembele scored the only goal of the game as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday. Xavi Hernandez's side took advantage of rival Real Madrid's 2-1 loss to Villarreal on Saturday to take sole possession of first ...

"The reality is that we lost the game. If we follow the line of the final 70 minutes, the team is going to compete as we want." [France](/soccer/team?id=478) international Dembele left the door open for Atletico after missing two quality chances in the second half to put the game away, but the hosts failed to take advantage. "The team played well after the opening 20 minutes. "We have lost three big points," Simeone said after the game. [Gavi](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/323702/Gavi) with a first-time shot to beat [Jan Oblak](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/149622/Jan-Oblak) at his far post.

Barcelona have a fantastic chance to build a gap atop the Spanish top flight as they visit Atletico Madrid in a Sunday La Liga showdown.

95 mins to kickoff: The Blaugrana are struggling for defenders at the moment thanks to a few injuries. Diego Simeone has a number of players to choose from in midfield, one of the more fascinating lineup situations on either side of this match. BARCELONA!] In a choppy match, a few seconds of fluidity pays off for Barcelona and they take the lead. 31st min: Atletico Madrid have their first chance of the match, but it's covered well by a pair of Barcelona defenders and Marcos Llorente's shot is blocked by Ronald Araujo. The Frenchman makes an awkward turn, contorting his body near the top of the area, and while his shot is on frame, it's central, and the Barcelona goalkeeper can parry it out for a corner. On the ensuing corner, Reinildo gets his head to it but doesn't get the precision right, redirecting the ball past the far post, needing a bit more of an acute angle to get it on net. Xavi makes a gesture to the bench and gives some instructions to his assistants, causing a stir on the Barcelona bench. It's fizzed in from the right flank, and Griezmann is right there on the penalty spot to redirect it on goal, but its sent to the moon. 90+1 min: Finally the hosts have a great move forward, but it comes to nothing, and the official waves away the protests for a penalty! It felt unfair at first as Savic was shown red, but after giving it a real thought and maybe taking word in his ear from his officiating team, Torres is rightly sent to the showers as well. It's a disappointing evening from both sides, but moreso for the hosts as they were extremely wasteful in front of goal and now sit outside the La Liga's top four. After putting in a sensational four weeks in Qatar, Griezmann has returned to the club level and fallen flat, with today's performance a perfect example of his failings since.

Oblak. Called into action to stop an Andreas Christensen rasper in the early going. Could do nothing about Ousmane Dembélé's 22nd-minute strike, ...

Entered for Koke in the 73rd minute. Entered for João Félix in the 73rd minute. Entered for Barrios in the 64th minute. Entered for Carrasco in the 64th minute. Booked soon after coming on and didn’t really get into the game until late on, when he crafted a huge chance for Griezmann in stoppage time. Brought on to offer more solidity in the middle. Atlético missed Morata’s physicality in the first half. Set up a really good chance for Griezmann late in the first half, then had a long-range attempt fly well over early in the second before exiting. Ronald Araújo cleared the France star’s certain equalizer off the line in the 93rd minute. Made a huge goal-saving block with Pedri just about clean through and looking to extend Barça’s lead in the first half. Early jitters as a cheap giveaway in the center circle opened a shooting lane for Fati, but Stefan Savić hustled back to clean up the mess. Sent off in the 92nd minute after putting Ferrán Torres in a headlock during an altercation around the halfway line.

Ousmane Dembele scored the only goal of the game as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday.

"The reality is that we lost the game. If we follow the line of the final 70 minutes, the team is going to compete as we want." [France](/football/team?id=478) international Dembele left the door open for Atletico after missing two quality chances in the second half to put the game away, but the hosts failed to take advantage. "The team played well after the opening 20 minutes. "We have lost three big points," Simeone said after the game. [Gavi](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/323702/Gavi) with a first-time shot to beat [Jan Oblak](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/149622/Jan-Oblak) at his far post.