Atletico Madrid v Barcelona: Catalans to edge out Atleti once again
Published:
Barcelona’s Champions League hopes hang in the balance with the Catalan giants taking just a one-goal margin to Madrid to face Atletico this week.
Having taken just one point from the last nine available in La Liga many think the Catalan giants are running out of steam as the business end of the season approaches.
This was evidenced in their victory in the first leg, which required Barca to come from 1-0 down against 10 men in order to arrive at the Vicente Calderon Stadium with the upper hand.
However, anyone hoping to make good on odds of 3/1 for Diego Simeone’s men to qualify should take note of the recent meetings between these two sides.
The last 10 clashes have brought two draws and one win for Atleti, but the last seven matches have all ended with a win for Barca.
This could lead many to back Lionel Messi and co. winning on the night at 6/5 or reaching the semi final at 2/9 but with a pattern emerging there could be value in the Correct Score markets.
Barca’s first-leg victory was their third in a row by a 2-1 scoreline against the Rojiblancos, making the 8/1 on a repeat of that result a tempting proposition.
As for where the goals will come from there are two outstanding candidates in the First Goalscorer market and the hosts will be looking to Antione Griezmann to spearhead their attack.
The Frenchman has been in fine fettle on the domestic front this season, scoring 20 goals and netting a match opener on no less than nine occasions and is worth considering at 11/2.
However, the 25-year-old has bagged first just twice in Europe this year leaving him behind Barca striker Luis Suarez.
The Uruguayan has netted eight Champions league goals so far and opened the scoring on three occasions making him the standout selection at 9/2.
And who better to put the icing on the cake for Barcelona than Lionel Messi. The prolific Argentine has smashed 37 goals in 41 games this term and is the subject of a generous Price Boost from the Ladbrokes trading floor.
Messi to score and Barcelona to win Was 9/4 NOW 3/1
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
