Barcelona and Atlético Madrid will be looking to boost their respective title aspirations when they face off in Tuesday’s La Liga clash at Camp Nou.
The hosts are leading the way at the top of the table, while Diego Simeone’s side are three points adrift in fourth position.
Match preview
Barcelona may be struggling to replicate their high performance levels of last season, but they have still done enough to be sitting in pole position after 14 La Liga matches.
Hansi Flick’s side have recorded 11 league victories this term (D1, L2), including wins in each of their last four top-flight matches since losing to Real Madrid in El Clasico at the end of October.
They dispatched Elche, Celta Vigo and Athletic Bilbao, before bouncing back from their Champions League defeat to Chelsea with a 3-1 victory over Deportivo Alavés on Saturday.
Dani Olmo netted a brace after Lamine Yamal had equalised, extending Barcelona’s unbeaten La Liga run against Alavés to 16 matches (W14, D2) and sending them back above Real Madrid at the summit.
With Real Madrid playing Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, Barcelona have the chance to move four points clear with a win on Tuesday.
Having scored 39 La Liga goals this season – the highest in the division – Barça will fancy their chances against an Atlético side that boast the joint-best defensive record (11 conceded).
Atlético looked unlikely to be in the title picture after a slow start (3W-4D-1L in first eight games), but they have since taken maximum points from their last six league matches and won their last seven competitive games in all competitions.
Last Wednesday they left it late to beat Inter 2-1 in the Champions League, before Alexander Sørensen’s first-half brace sealed a 2-0 win over Real Oviedo on Saturday – moving Diego Simeone level with Miguel Muñoz on 323 La Liga wins as a manager.
Simeone will target his 324th on Tuesday in a game brought forward from January due to the Spanish Super Cup.
Atleti are looking to record back-to-back league wins at Camp Nou for the first time ever after Sørensen’s 96th-minute winner in December 2024.
Team News
Barcelona remain without Marc-André ter Stegen, Gavi and Fermín López (calf). Ronald Araújo is doubtful (illness), while Eric García should be available. Frenkie de Jong returns from personal reasons and is expected to start alongside Pedri and Jules Koundé.
Atlético Madrid will be without Marcos Llorente (thigh) and Robin Le Normand (knee). José María Giménez, Matteo Ruggeri, Pablo Barrios, Johnny Cardoso, Koke and Giuliano Simeone are all set to return, with Julián Álvarez preferred to Sørensen up front.
Possible starting lineups
| Barcelona | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|
|
García
Koundé – García – Cubarsí – Balde De Jong – Pedri Yamal – Olmo – Raphinha Lewandowski |
Oblak Molina – Giménez – Hancko – Ruggeri Cardoso – Koke – Barrios Simeone – Álvarez – Baena |
La Liga Standings
| # | Team | PTS | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 34 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 39 | 16 | 23 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 33 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 29 | 13 | 16 |
| 3 | Villarreal | 32 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 29 | 13 | 16 |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 31 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 27 | 11 | 16 |
| 5 | Real Betis | 24 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 22 | 14 | 8 |
| 6 | Espanyol | 24 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 16 | 2 |
| 7 | Getafe | 20 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 15 | -2 |
| 8 | Athletic Bilbao | 20 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 17 | -3 |
| 9 | Rayo Vallecano | 17 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 15 | -2 |
| 10 | Real Sociedad | 16 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 19 | 21 | -2 |
| 11 | Sevilla | 16 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 19 | 23 | -4 |
| 12 | Elche | 16 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 15 | 17 | -2 |
| 13 | Celta Vigo | 16 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 19 | -3 |
| 14 | Deportivo Alavés | 15 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 15 | -3 |
| 15 | Valencia | 14 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 22 | -9 |
| 16 | Real Mallorca | 13 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 22 | -7 |
| 17 | Osasuna | 12 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 18 | -6 |
| 18 | Girona | 12 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 26 | -13 |
| 19 | Levante | 9 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 26 | -10 |
| 20 | Real Oviedo | 9 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 22 | -15 |
Last 6 matches
| Date | Barcelona | Result | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29/11/2025 | Deportivo Alavés (H) | 3-1 | Real Oviedo (H) → 2-0 |
| 25/11/2025 | Chelsea (A) UCL | 0-3 L | Inter (H) UCL → 2-1 |
| 22/11/2025 | Athletic Bilbao (H) | 4-0 | Getafe (A) → 0-1 |
| 09/11/2025 | Celta Vigo (A) | 2-4 | Levante (H) → 3-1 |
| 05/11/2025 | Club Brugge (A) UCL | 3-3 D | Union SG (H) UCL → 3-1 |
| 02/11/2025 | Elche (H) | 3-1 | Sevilla (H) → 3-0 |
Barcelona – Home form (last 6)
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 29/11 | Deportivo Alavés | 3-1 |
| 22/11 | Athletic Bilbao | 4-0 |
| 02/11 | Elche | 3-1 |
| 18/10 | Girona | 2-1 |
| 28/09 | Real Sociedad | 2-1 |
| 21/09 | Getafe | 3-0 |
Atlético Madrid – Away form (last 6)
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 23/11 | Getafe | 0-1 |
| 26/10 | Real Betis | 0-2 |
| 05/10 | Celta Vigo | 1-1 |
| 21/09 | Real Mallorca | 1-1 |
| 30/08 | Deportivo Alavés | 1-1 |
| 17/08 | Espanyol | 2-1 L |
Head-to-Head (recent)
| Date | Home | Result | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2024 | Barcelona | 1-2 | Atlético Madrid (Sorloth 90+6′) |
| Barcelona had won 6 of the previous 7 league H2Hs | |||
Key Statistics Comparison
| Stat | Barcelona | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Position | 1st | 4th |
| Points | 34 (14 GP) | 31 (14 GP) |
| Goals scored | 39 (2.79 pg) | 27 (1.93 pg) |
| Goals conceded | 16 (1.14 pg) | 11 (0.79 pg) |
| Form last 6 | W L W W D W | W W W W W W |
| Home / Away form | WWWWW | W W D D D |
| Clean sheets | 4 | 7 |
| Both teams scored | 71% | 43% |
| Over 2.5 goals | 79% | 50% |
Prediction
Barcelona boast the best attack in La Liga and are in rampant home form (5 straight league wins, 19-3 aggregate). Atlético arrive on an incredible seven-game winning streak and with the league’s joint-best defence, but their away record remains patchy and they have never won back-to-back league games at Camp Nou.
Expected result: Barcelona 2-1 Atlético Madrid
Best bet: Barcelona to win & Both teams to score