Preview: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona - prediction, team news, lineups

One of the biggest matches on the Spanish football calendar will take place at Metropolitano Stadium on Saturday night, with Atletico Madrid set to welcome Barcelona.

Atletico are currently fourth in the La Liga table, while Barcelona are at the top of the division, four points clear of second-placed Real Madrid in the battle for the title.

Match preview

Atletico are preparing to face Barcelona three times in their next four matches, with the pair also set to lock horns in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with the first leg of their last-eight contest taking place at Camp Nou next week.

Diego Simeone's side are also in the Copa del Rey final, facing Real Sociedad on April 18, so it is an incredibly important few weeks for the Red and Whites, but they are not involved in a La Liga title race heading towards the final straight.

Indeed, Atletico sit fourth in the La Liga table, 16 points behind the leaders Barcelona, while they are 13 points clear of fifth-placed Real Betis.

As a result, La Liga is third on their list of priorities at this stage of the season, as their spot in the top four is extremely secure, while their chances of silverware this term are coming in the cup competitions.

That said, Atletico, who lost 3-2 to Real Madrid in the Madrid derby before the international break, will know what damage a poor result on Saturday night could do leading into the first leg of their last-eight Champions League clash with Barcelona, and the capital outfit were excellent when they last hosted the Catalan side in February 2026.

Indeed, Atletico beat Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on home soil earlier this year, before losing 3-0 at Camp Nou in the second leg, but a 4-3 success saw them secure their position in the final of the tournament.

Barcelona have won four of their last five matches against Atletico, though, including a 3-1 win when the two teams locked horns in the reverse fixture earlier this season.

The Catalan outfit are also unbeaten against the Red and Whites away from home in the league since October 2021, and they will bring an eight-game unbeaten run into this match, including a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in their last league game.

Hansi Flick's side are top of the La Liga table, four points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, although the gap could be cut to a single point before this match kicks off, with Real Madrid taking on Mallorca earlier in the day.

Barcelona have scored 78 times in La Liga this season, but all four of their league defeats in 2025-26 have come on their travels, and the visitors will certainly be wary of what threat a fired-up Atletico could provide this weekend.

Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

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Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

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Barcelona La Liga form:

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Barcelona form (all competitions):

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Team News

Marcos Llorente (suspended), Johnny Cardoso (suspended) and Pablo Barrios (thigh) will definitely miss out for Atletico this weekend, while Jan Oblak (hip), Marc Pubill (rib), Rodrigo Mendoza (ankle) and Alexander Sorloth (head) are regarded as doubts.

Midfield is an area of concern considering that Llorente, Cardoso and Barrios will all be missing, which could mean that Alex Baena features in a deeper role alongside Koke.

Simeone will certainly have one eye on next week's Champions League quarter-final first leg, but Julian Alvarez is expected to lead the line against the team that allegedly want to sign him this summer.

As for Barcelona, Raphinha suffered a hamstring injury while representing Brazil during the international break, and the attacker will not be back until the start of May.

Andreas Christensen is a long-term absentee due to a serious knee injury, while Frenkie de Jong remains out with a hamstring issue, but the Netherlands international could potentially feature in the Champions League clash between the two sides next week.

Eric Garcia is fit and should start in the middle of the defence, while Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde are back in training after recovering from hamstring injuries.

Marcus Rashford could be given the nod in a wide area for the visitors, while Joao Cancelo and Marc Bernal are also expected to be in the Barcelona starting XI.

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Musso; Molina, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Koke, Baena, Lookman; Alvarez, Griezmann

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

J Garcia; Araujo, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Cancelo; Bernal, Pedri; Yamal, F Lopez, Rashford; Lewandowski

We say: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Barcelona

Atletico have lost their last two games against Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid, and they have somewhat of a midfield crisis for this match, but we are expecting Simeone's side to be good enough for a point on Saturday night.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.