The field of Wanda Metropolitano will see a huge clash on Saturday. Two Spanish giants in Atletico Madrid and Barcelona might not be in the best of form, but their games are always great. Atletico Madrid endured a shock defeat to Deportivo Alaves last weekend. Thus, they will be motivated to bounce back against their rivals in the league. Barcelona, on the other hand, finally had a comfortable game, winning 3-0 against Levante. Of course, Atleti is no Levante, so this will be a tougher game for the Blaugrana.
There is also a lot riding on this game. While it is still the start of the season, both are behind their biggest rivals, Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid is behind three points, while Barcelona is lagging five. Of course, Barcelona has one game less, but that game is against Sevilla, which is definitely not an automatic three points for the Catalans. Early leads can define a season, so this will be a highly contested game.
Here are three predictions about the upcoming La Liga clash!
3 predictions for Atletico v Barcelona
Barcelona will lose…and Koeman will get fired
Although riding high after the latest comfortable win in La Liga, Barca does not have a huge chance in this clash. Simply put, this team is lacking real quality to really tussle with the best out of the best. In their clash versus Bayern a couple of weeks back, the Catalans were completely overmatched by the Bavarians. For the first time in their rich history in the UCL, they did not have a single shot towards the target.
That was against Bayern, an attacking outfit. Atletico Madrid is completely different, as they rely on a strong defense with a lot of aggression to win their games. It is actually formidable to have the, more or less, same tactic for seven years, through different rosters, and still be at the top of La Liga football. That is why Diego Simeone will always be regarded as one of the best coaches in the world. Ronald Koeman, on the other hand, is a firing waiting to happen.
Due to the fact that La Liga is very top-heavy, with a few elite teams and a lot of tough, defensive outfits with a lack of quality, Koeman is actually a solid coach in that context. However, when it comes to these kinds of games, his lack of tactical knowledge and abysmal man management will be on full display, and this defeat could finally trigger the Barcelona board to let him go.
There will be late-game drama
Regardless of the previous prediction of an Atletico Madrid win, these kinds of derbies never make it comfortable. Whoever plays in the jersey, this is still Barcelona and any prediction about an easy win would simply be wrong. There is a fabric in these players that do not let them get run over, so the game will be tough.
However, Atleti set a precedent this season. In their seven La Liga games so far, two things have been prevalent – red cards and late goals. While it would be difficult to predict a red card, late goals most likely will happen.
Against Getafe, Luis Suarez scored two in the last 15 minutes to win it for Atletico Madrid. Against Espanyol, Thomas Lemar scored in the 99th minute and even the first goal was scored in the 79th. Against Villarreal, it was a bizarre own goal that saved them – in the 95th minute. While all of these teams are not of the Barcelona ilk, Atletico Madrid likes to keep their fans glued to the game until the last minute, and this game will not be any different.
This game will not change fortunes for either team, regardless of the winner
Due to the way both teams started the season, it seems like La Liga is Real Madrid's to lose. Unfortunately for the vast fanbases of these teams, winning this game will not make much of a difference. Atletico Madrid has had a lot of luck to even be in the position to be three points behind the leader, while Barcelona's season has been just atrocious.
Winning this game will be an immediate boost for both teams, but their struggles are not in the motivation. The struggles of both teams stem from different parts of their organizations and their rosters. Atleti has a goalscoring problem, due to the poor form of Antoine Griezmann and it is only Luis Suarez that is keeping them afloat. At his age, it is hard to expect an entire season in this form from the Uruguayan.
Barca has other issues, mostly with the depth and quality of their roster. Of course, positives are that Frenkie De Jong is back from his suspension and Ansu Fati is back from injury, but that does little to cover the glaring holes. When poor coaching is added to the mix, and the inability to strengthen the squad due to financial issues, Barca is going into a painful rebuild. Once rebuilt, they will be a powerhouse but the next period will be difficult.
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