FC Barcelona took a big stumble in their last match, as they traveled to 16th-place Celta Vigo and settled for a 2-2 draw. Real Madrid beat Espanyol, 1-0, on Sunday, to move two points ahead of Barcelona in the La Liga standings. Next up for Barcelona is a visit from third-place Atletico Madrid, looking to solidify their hold on one of the UEFA Champions League slots for 2020-21. Barcelona had had issues scoring in previous weeks, but their defense had been ironclad. Giving up a pair of goals to a Celta Vigo team heading for possible relegation showed that the back line has frayed a bit as well. With Atletico coming to town, Barcelona does not have much time to fix these problems. Don’t miss our LaLiga betting preview of this LaLiga showdown.
La Liga: FC Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid (June 30)
- When: Tuesday, June 30, 2020, 4:00 pm ET
- Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona
- TV: beIN SPORTS
- Radio: None
- Live Stream: fuboTV
- LaLiga Odds: FC Barcelona 1.91 / Draw 3.70 / Atletico Madrid 4.80
Why should you put your money on Atletico?
On Saturday, Atletico hosted Alaves, who is currently nine points clear of the relegation zone, and took a 2-1 victory. The game went into halftime scoreless, and then Saul Niguez put Atletico on the board in the 59th minute. Diego Costa made it 2-0 from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute. Joselu made things interesting in injury time at the end of the second half, giving Alaves a goal from the penalty spot, but Alaves could draw no closer than 2-1.
Atletico possessed for 71 percent of the match and outshot the visitors, 13-6 (4-2 on target). The match was about average in terms of physical play, with the teams combining for 24 fouls and five yellow cards (three for Atletico). Atletico was able to impose their will on the match as time went by. Can they do the same thing to a reeling Barcelona team? Or will Barcelona steel their will and get back to their championship form?
Why should you bet on Barcelona?
Barcelona kept trying to pull away from Celta Vigo on Saturday, and Celta Vigo kept crawling back. Luis Suarez scored for Barcelona in the game’s 20th minute, and matters stood at 1-0 at halftime. Then Fyodor Smolov scored for Celta Vigo in the 50th minute. Suarez finished his brace in the 67th minute, and it looked like smooth sailing for Barcelona. However, Iago Aspas tallied in the 88th minute to draw Celta Vigo level, and that is how the match ended.
Barcelona possessed for two-thirds of the match and outshot Celta Vigo, 19-10. However, only two of Barcelona’s shots were on target, while Celta Vigo had five. Barcelona was clearly willing to settle for shots from distance and was bothered by Celta Vigo’s physical play. The hosts committed 19 fouls, to just nine for Barcelona, and the teams combined for seven yellow cards (four for Barcelona). The defending La Liga champions will have to up their game with Atletico coming to town — but can they do it?
Barcelona vs Atletico Final Score Prediction
Barcelona has some frustration to work off now, as their practice of playing just enough offense to win failed badly against Celta Vigo. The fact that they scored twice on Saturday is encouraging, and I see them opening things up against Atletico. I predict a final score of Barcelona 2, Atletico 1.
