On Sunday night, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid go head-to-head at the Nou Camp in what promises to be the biggest game of the weekend in La Liga.
Barcelona form guideThe reigning Spanish champions recorded a 2-1 midweek home win over Porto in the Champions League. The victory means Xavi Hernandez’s team has won five of their last eight matches.
However, the Blaugrana’s recent Liga form has been slightly inconsistent, as they have won just three of their previous six matches in La Liga. Xavi’s team has been relatively prolific of late in the Spanish top flight, scoring at least two goals in eight of their previous 13 league games.
Barcelona have been strong on home soil of late in La Liga, winning seven of their last eight home games while scoring at least two goals in five of the eight games in the stellar run.
Atletico Madrid form guideDiego Simeone’s team extended their recent winning run to four games in all competitions by recording a 3-2 win at Feyenoord in midweek Champions League action.
The game also saw Los Colchoneros score at least two goals for the third time in four matches in all competitions.
Atletico’s recent form in La Liga has been strong, as they have won eight of their last nine games in the Spanish top-flight, including their last time out when they recorded a 1-0 home win over Real Mallorca.
The Mallorca game was a rare low-scoring encounter for Atletico in La Liga, as their previous six league matches had all produced over 2.5 goals.
The visitor's good form has moved them up to third place in the table, above their fourth-place opponents on goal difference, and four points off leaders Real Madrid.
What am I backing?The recent encounters between these two teams have been relatively close affairs. However, this game could be high-scoring, so I am backing over 2.5 goals scored.