Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Prediction, Odds, Best Bet – La Liga Week 16

• It’s Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona in La Liga  Week 18 on Sunday, January 8
• Barca are league leaders, albeit level on points with Real Madrid, while Atleti are fourth
• Find our Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona analysis below, where we look at the odds and offer some picks

It’s Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona on Sunday, January 8 in round 16 of La Liga with a 3:00 pm ET kick-off. Barca is favored in the odds.

Barca currently leads La Liga, albeit only on goal difference with Real Madrid level with them on points, while Atleti is 11 points adrift in fourth.

We preview Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona, look at the La Liga odds, and offer some analysis, team news, and picks below.

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Odds

Odds as of Jan 7 at Caesars Sportsbook. Use this Caesars Sportsbook promo code to bet on this or other games.

Given their placings in the table, it’s a surprise to see Barca starting as +129 favorites in the Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona odds with an implied win probability of 44%. At +210, and with an implied probability of 32%, Atleti are considered outsiders. The draw, at +230, offers the best odds, with an implied probability of 30%.

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Over/Under and Spread

Oddsmakers are undecided as to how this will go in terms of goals with the under 2.5 pitched at -110, while over is listed at -120.

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Preview

It’s been a lukewarm start to the campaign for Atletico who have won just eight of their 15 La Liga matches. They currently lie in fourth place – 11 points adrift of Barcelona and Real Madrid – so are no longer in the fight for this season’s La Liga title.

With a host of midtable teams within striking distance of them – Osasuna in 9th are on 23 points –  their battle is for a Champions League place. With them only being just two points ahead of Athletico Bilbao (5th) and Real Betis (6th), the pressure is ramping up.

Next challenge: FC Barcelona 💪 pic.twitter.com/ij7df7pGOc

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) January 5, 2023

Two in Two for Atleti Since the Season Resumed

Atletico hit the ground running in their first game back after the winter/World Cup break by beating Elche 2-0 at home. In midweek, they progressed to the next round of the Copa del Rey with a 2-0 win over Real Oviedo.

In this same fixture last season, Atleti beat Barca 2-0 but in the reverse fixture suffered a bruising 4-2 defeat in the Camp Nou on their way to finishing third.

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Head-to-Head Stats

Barca Still On for Domestic Double

Barcelona are still on course for another domestic double after also progressing in the Copa del Rey in midweek thanks to a narrow 4-3 win over CF Intercity. It was a nervy evening though against a team that plays in the Spanish third tier and who came back from a goal down on three occasions. Barca finally claimed the win in extra time.

Their first game back after the winter break didn’t go to plan either, with neighbors Espanyol holding them to a surprise 1-1 draw. On a stormy afternoon that yielded two red cards – one for each team – Barcelona’s early lead was canceled out with 17 minutes remaining.

Looking forward to #AtletiBarça … pic.twitter.com/MOOT2fyHjM

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 5, 2023

Head-To-Head With Los Blancos

In La Liga, Barca’s lead at the top of the table is only on goal difference as they and Real Madrid both have identical 12-2-1 records. As well as the domestic double, Barca also have an upcoming Spanish Super Cup semifinal against Real Betis, with the winners playing Real Madrid or Valencia in the final.

In the Europa League, they have a round-of-16 two-legged tie with Manchester United in February after missing out on the Champions League knockout phase after finishing third in their group.

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Team Lineups and Injuries

Atleti Projected Lineup: Oblak, Savic, Witsel, Gimenez, Llorente, Kondogbia, Barrios, Koke, Carrasco, Griezmann, Morata.

Injuries & absences: Reguilon, Hermoso.

Barca Projected Lineup: Ter Stegen, Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde, Pedri, Busquets, de Jong, Dembele, Torres, Fati.

Injuries & absences: Lewandowski, Alba.

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Prediction

Diego Simeone’s men will see home advantage as significant here after winning this equivalent fixture last season, but Barca’s charge for the title is on and will be defined by difficult games like this.

For that reason, I don’t see Xavi’s men missing out on points here and so the plus-money bet for the away win looks to be where the value lies.

Picks: Barca to win (+129)