One of the standout fixtures on the La Liga calendar will take place at Camp Nou this afternoon as Barcelona welcome Atletico Madrid for a huge match in the top flight of Spanish football.
Barca are currently third in the table, level on points with second-placed Real Madrid, while Atletico are two points clear at the summit as the race for the title heads for its final straight.
There is no question that Barca have had their problems this season, but it would go down as a brilliant campaign if they could make it a La Liga and Copa del Rey double. One trophy is already in the bag, having beaten Athletic Bilbao 4-0 in the Copa del Rey final in the middle of April, and they can now put their full attention on finishing at the top of the pile in La Liga.
As mentioned, Ronald Koeman’s side are currently third in the table, level on points with second-placed Real Madrid and just two points behind leaders Atletico. A win for Barca here would move them to the summit, but Real Madrid would rise above them if Los Blancos manage to beat fourth-placed Sevilla on Sunday night.
The Catalan giants suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat to Granada on April 29, with the result preventing them from moving to the top of the table. However, they returned to winning ways last time out, holding off a late comeback from Valencia to record a 3-2 success at Mestalla.
Lionel Messi scored twice against Los Che in a brilliant performance, and it would be some finish to the season if Barca managed to secure a domestic double and sign the Argentine to a new contract.
Barca actually have the best away record in Spain’s top flight this season, picking up 37 points from their 17 matches; they have also been strong at home, boasting the third-best record in La Liga, but Koeman’s side have dropped points in six of their 17 league fixtures at Camp Nou.
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A defeat to Atletico would not end Barca’s title challenge, but it would leave them in a very difficult position, especially with Real Madrid also in the picture. Sevilla had pulled themselves into the running due to an excellent run of form, but Julen Lopetegui’s side suffered a damaging loss to Athletic on Monday evening.
The disappointing Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain has left Koeman’s side with much to ponder ahead of the summer transfer window, and it remains to be seen the extent of the funds available in the upcoming market due to the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
Barca must simply focus on the here and now, though, and they will be looking to finish their 2020-21 campaign with four straight victories over Atletico, Levante, Celta Vigo and Eibar, hoping that it will be enough to win the title that they lost last term.
Atletico are bidding to win their first La Liga title since the 2013-14 campaign, when they ultimately finished three points clear of second-placed Barca and third-placed Real Madrid; the race is set to be even closer this time around, and there is simply no downplaying the importance of this weekend’s contest.
The capital giants have, for long spells of the season, been La Liga’s most impressive side, and it did appear at one point that they would run away with the title; that has not proved to be the case, but a win at Camp Nou would leave them in a very strong position ahead of their final three matches of the season.
Diego Simeone’s side have two home games after this weekend’s game, taking on Real Sociedad and Osasuna on May 12 and May 16 respectively, before finishing the season on May 23 away to Real Valladolid, who might be in need of the points to remain in the division.
Atletico suffered a damaging 2-1 defeat to Athletic Bilbao on April 25, but they managed to return to winning ways last weekend courtesy of a 1-0 success over Elche, with Marcos Llorente’s first-half goal proving to be the difference in what was a tight and cagey affair at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero.
The Red and Whites are simply not playing as well as they were towards the end of 2020 and early stages of 2021, but they are two points clear at the summit with four games left, which is an impressive feat.
Unsurprisingly, Atletico again have the best defensive record in La Liga, conceding just 22 times in their 34 matches, while they are the second-highest scorers (61) behind Barca (80). Luis Suarez has proved to be an inspired signing, scoring 19 La Liga goals, and it will be fascinating to see how the Uruguay international performs against the club where he enjoyed so much success.
Simeone’s side have the best home record in the league this term, picking up 42 points from 17 matches at Wanda Metropolitano, but they have dropped points in seven of their 17 away fixtures and have found it difficult to pick up positive results at Camp Nou. The fact that neither of these two sides were in European action during the week means that it should be a highly energetic contest. A win for either would be huge, but ironically a victory for Barca would put Real Madrid in pole position for the title if Zinedine Zidane’s side beat Sevilla tomorrow.
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