Atletico Madrid – Barcelona

In the main match of the 30th round, Barcelona have a better chance of success.

The rivalry between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona in the current season is extremely intense. And the already fraught relationship between the two clubs became even more pronounced following the Copa del Rey semifinal held in February and March of this year. Then Atlético, on its home turf, surprised the Catalans by scoring four unanswered goals in the first half. After the 0-4 defeat, Barcelona had clear intentions to overturn it at Camp Nou and gave it their all, but they won the game by a three-goal margin and left the Copa del Rey. Before the second meeting in Madrid this season, Barça's players and supporters already know well that this visit to the Mattress Makers won't be the last this month. The Champions League knockout stage has brought the clubs to the quarterfinals, which means Atlético and Barcelona will meet three times in ten days in April. In such a situation, the coaching agenda shifts from tactics for a single match to a strategy for all upcoming clashes. In other words, the clubs' rivalry grows into a coaching duel between Diego Simeone and Hansi Flick. From the La Liga standpoint, the match in the championship is much more important for the Catalan guests. Barcelona is in a close race for the title with Real Madrid, at a time when few La Liga clubs can take points off the royal club. If they slip in Madrid, Álvaro Arbeloa's team could move closer to first place by one win. In turn, Real Madrid could achieve it in the head-to-head meeting with Barcelona scheduled for May 10. As for Atlético, the upcoming match could be sacrificed for the sake of important goals in the Champions League. Simeone's side has practically secured a top-4 finish, which gives the right to participate in the next edition of the elite European tournament. For Atlético, the current Champions League campaign is far more important, with only two rounds left to reach the final. After so many years at the helm of the Mattress Makers, a European triumph remains Simeone's main dream. In the upcoming match we will bet on the more motivated guests.