On Saturday night, reigning La Liga champions Barcelona host second Atletico Madrid at the Nou Camp, in a game that will be pivotal in the race for the Spanish top-flight title.
Barcelona have been way out in front at the top of La Liga for some time now. The Catalan giants are now eight points clear of Los Rojiblancos and a win would all but seal the title for a second straight season.
Ernesto Valverde’s side head into this clash on the back of a dramatic 4-4 draw at struggling Villarreal. The home side needed late goals from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez to rescue a draw against the relegation-threatened outfit.
The draw against the Yellow Submarine ended a six-match winning run for the home side in the Spanish top-flight. However, the champions are still 18 La Liga games unbeaten since a shock 3-4 defeat at home against Real Betis back in November.
A record of seven wins in their last eight La Liga games at the Nou Camp is a good one, especially as Barcelona have scored at least two goals in seven of those eight games.
Atletico Madrid have seemingly regained their defensive solidity of late to win six of their last seven La Liga matches while keeping clean sheets in all six victories. Last time out in La Liga, Diego Simeone’s team recorded a 2-0 home win over Girona.
In true Atletico fashion in recent seasons, their latest games have been low scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in six of their last seven league outings.
Atletico have a decent recent La Liga record on their travels, winning four of their last six away matches. Their recent away matches have been low scoring with under 2.5 goals scored in four of their last five matches on their travels.
Forebet predicts that Barcelona will move a step closer to retaining their crown as La Liga champions by recording a victory in a high scoring clash.