FC Barcelona have a mountain to climb in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal as they trail Atletico Madrid by two goals.
The Catalans slumped to a surprising two-nil loss at Camp Nou last Wednesday but now travel to Madrid for redemption.
In the first leg, Pau Cubarsi’s sending off deflated Barcelona, and it led to two unreplied goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth.
Ahead of the return fixture, Diego Simeone rested his entire XI on Saturday, knowing that Barcelona can conjure a comeback.
As per the odds, bookmakers do not favour the five-time UCL winners to progress at this point, and that’s due to the home advantage
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Match Preview
On Saturday, FC Barcelona triumphed over their local rivals Espanyol with a score of 4-1, thanks to the outstanding performance of Lamine Yamal.
Tuesday’s hosts have a fully rested team after their head coach benched the whole XI that secured the win over Barcelona.
It however, backfired as they lost 2-1 to Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium and left them fourth on the La Liga table.
Hansi Flick’s men are expected not to stray from their attacking style of play, and this could allow Atletico to take advantage of the spaces behind their defensive line.
However, the Madrid-based side have to secure their goal line better to limit Barcelona’s chances of staging a comeback.
An early goal for the visitors is enough to put pressure on Atletico and possibly end their dreams of making the UCL semifinal for the first time since the 2016/2017 season.
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Match Prediction
The two sides have faced each other five times this season, with Barcelona winning three times while Atletico have claimed victory twice.
On paper, Tuesday’s encounter is the biggest between the two sides this season, and psychologically, the visitors are ahead.
FC Barcelona have won five games in their last six visits to the Wanda Metropolitano, so we predict a 3-1 win in ninety minutes.
And don’t forget to check out the bookmakers’ best offers.
Read more >>
- Injury embattled Arsenal target UCL history - 14.04.2026
- Flick’s Barcelona aim for dramatic UCL redemption in Madrid - 13.04.2026
- Chelsea battle for top-five life as United clash looms - 12.04.2026
