Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid
LaLiga 2018-19
Venue: Camp Nou
Date: Saturday, April 6, 2019
Kick-off: 7:45pm GMT
Barcelona can take a giant step towards sealing their latest LaLiga title when they face closest challengers Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou on Saturday evening.
The Blaugrana head into the mammoth clash eight points ahead of Diego Simeone's side after fighting back to draw an eight-goal thriller against Villarreal in midweek.
Atletico managed to whittle down the deficit courtesy of a 2-0 win over Girona as Antoine Griezmann ended a run of seven matches without scoring.
The visitors will know that they surely have to win again this weekend in order to stand any chance of lifting the title in May.
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid team news and predicted line-ups
Barcelona look unlikely to have Ousmane Dembele back in the fold until they travel to face Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the Champions League next week.
Second-choice goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen is back in training after a calf problem, but Rafinha (knee) remains out and Arturo Vidal is suspended after collecting his fifth yellow card of the season against Villarreal.
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen, Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Arthur, Coutinho, Messi, Suarez
Atletico's Chelsea loanee Alvaro Morata is a major doubt to face Barcelona after spraining his ankle against Girona, while Diego Costa is struggling with a hamstring tear.
Thomas Lemar is expected to miss another fortnight as the result of a thigh injury and the Bayern Munich-bound Lucas Hernandez will not play again this season.
Atletico XI: Oblak, Arias, Gimenez, Godin, Juanfran, Rodri, Koke, Thomas, Niguez, Griezmann, Kalinic
Score prediction: Barcelona 3-2 Atletico
Barcelona were on a run of seven straight wins across all competitions before that epic game against Villarreal, while miserly Atletico have conceded only two league goals since February.
The hosts should get the win they need to move 11 points clear with seven games left to play, though expect it to be anything other than straightforward.
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid tickets
For ticket information, click here to head to Barcelona's website.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Barcelona to win: 4/5
- Draw: 27/10
- Atletico to win: 18/5
First goal scorer
- Lionel Messi: 5/2
- Luis Suarez: 7/2
- Malcom: 6/1
- Alvaro Morata: 6/1
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream online coverage
Eleven Sports and Premier Sports will both be showing live coverage of the match.
You can also follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog.
