Barca visits Madrid

At the start of the new year, we have an exciting top game ahead of us on the 16th match day of the La Liga . Atlético Madrid and Diego Simione meet the leaders from Barcelona. 4th place welcomes the top of the table in the home stadium Civitas Metropolitano, in Madrid. 

The initial situation before the game of the 16th La Liga matchday remains exciting. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are tied with 38 points each. On Saturday, however, Madrid can pull away and FC Barcelona will have to follow suit on Sunday. They are still in first place in the table on goal difference. Atlético Madrid looks set to face another season of defeats against Real Madrid and Barcelona. 

They are currently only fourth in the Spanish Premier League table , two points behind third-placed Real Sociedad. With eleven points separating Atlético from the leaders of the table, it will be difficult to maintain hope of winning the La Liga.

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Atletico Madrid analysis

Atlético Madrid seems to be on the verge of a disastrous season. In La Liga they are even behind Real Sociedad in fourth place. Both the city rivals Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are already eleven points missing. Catching up with the two teams seems more than unlikely . In the Champions League they already had to accept the disappointment. Here it was already over in the group phase, even though we actually played in one of the easiest groups. Although they are in the third round of the Spanish Cup and still in the middle of the tournament, the Copa Del Rey success is not Atlético's only claim.

Madrid's form neither convinces nor disappoints. Before they face FC Barcelona on Sunday, they met Real Oviedo in a Copa Del Rey game. Here they performed confidently against the second division team. In the end, they prevailed with a 2-0 success and are therefore in the next cup round. The game of FC Barcelona, ​​which had considerable problems to qualify for the next round, was completely different.

A problem with the home team from Madrid is that they don't stand out on any part of the field. The defense is still the most convincing part of the squad and the tactics, but this season, unlike in previous years, there are problems here too. No one really stands out in midfield, but World Cup winner Rodrigo de Paul may be able to bring some life and momentum to the squad. They have a lot of well-known names on offense, but none of these stars really want to impress. It remains to be seen whether and how these problems will be corrected in the future and whether it will be successful.

Barcelona analysis

For the Blaugrana, at least in the league, things could hardly go better. With 12 victories from the 15 completed match days so far, almost no opponent has been able to hold a candle to them. Only against arch-rivals Real Madrid did they have to admit defeat with a 3:1 defeat. Above all, the goal difference makes the opponents wonder and tremble. They conceded just six goals while scoring 34 themselves. Both top values ​​in the league.

There is a lot at stake for FC Barcelona this season and a good start to the resumed game would be an important step. Having had to make some cuts and sell many of the TV rights due to financial difficulties, another unsuccessful season would be a disaster. Many far-reaching decisions were made to bring big names like Lewandowski, Kounde and Raphina into the team despite the financial problems. Champions League success is already history after being eliminated in the group stage. Now they have to concentrate on the Spanish Cup, the league and the Europa League.

So far in La Liga they have averaged 2.26 goals per game . In particular, the 34-year-old newcomer Robert Lewandowski has been able to deliver the performances that were expected and hoped for from him. In the 19 games he has played for FC Barcelona so far, he has taken 18 shots and provided four additional assists. With 13 goals in La Liga, he is currently the top scorer by five goals. A beacon of hope and a problem child at the same time, Ousmane Dembélé was able to play a surprising season so far. With 12 scorers and many conspicuous dribbles, he was able to prove his potential. Only newcomer Raphina, who came from Leeds for almost 60 million euros, is still causing concern.

Before they face their rivals from Madrid on Sunday, they had to play in the Spanish Cup on Wednesday against the third division team CF Intercity. They managed to prevail in the end, but only in extra time managing to hold a win with 4-3, although they played with most of their top players.

As with the opponent Atlético Madrid, they are not aware of any injuries. However, there are two suspensions at FC Barcelona. Both left-back and star striker Robert Lewandowski are suspended for Sunday's game.

Atletico Madrid - Barcelona: What to expect? 

If you look at the direct comparison, it is difficult to draw any conclusions. From Atlético's point of view, they were able to hold up well against FC Barcelona in the last few games, but the last game and at the same time the first under coach Xavi they lost 4-2. Atlético Madrid coach Simione has been fairly unsuccessful against FC Barcelona in his career. He has been able to coach 32 games against the Blaugrana so far. In just five of these thirty games he was able to maneuver his team to victory. Eleven times they separated with a draw and 16 times they lost against the Catalans. 

• Both Teams to Score at odds of 1.73 
• Barcelona to win at odds of 2.3
• Over 2.5 goals at odds of 1.94

* All odds and markets are correct at time of publication and subject to change.