La Liga match: Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid prediction,lineups and free online

La Liga clash between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid on December 21, 2024, promises to be a highly competitive encounter. Both teams are currently tied on points at the top of the table, making this match crucial for their title aspirations . Barcelona will be looking to regain form after a recent slump, having secured only one win in their last six league matches. In contrast, Atletico Madrid enters the match with an impressive eleven-game winning streak, showcasing their robust defense and potent attacking options led by players like Griezmann and Álvarez.

The Catalan giants have just about held on to their status as league leaders despite winning just one of their last six domestic matches, although they have played a game more than both Madrid clubs. Hansi Flick's honeymoon period has firmly come to a close, with Sunday's battle against Atletico potentially having enormous ramifications in the title race.

If Barça can recapture that level, they are absolutely good enough to end Atleti’s streak, and the game might be more open than expected given the visitors’ level of confidence and attacking prowess lately. Barça have struggled a lot against parked buses recently, so they might benefit if Simeone decides to go on the attack in this one.

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This should be a lot of fun, and a perfect way to end Barça’s 2024 schedule. This has been a crazy year, and there’s no better way to finish it than by beating a historic rival and going into the holiday break with a major boost of confidence and top spot in the standings secured.

Barcelona possible starting lineup: Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Olmo, F Lopez, Raphinha; Lewandowski

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup: Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Alvarez, Griezmann

In terms of lineups, Barcelona is expected to adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation with Pena in goal and Lewandowski spearheading the attack. However, they will be without key players such as Lamine Yamal and Marc-André ter Stegen due to injuries. Atletico Madrid is anticipated to field a strong squad in a traditional 4-4-2 formation as they aim to capitalize on Barcelona's vulnerabilities. The match will be available for viewing across various platforms including ESPN+ in the U.S. and ITV 4 in the UK .

Predictions for this high-stakes matchup suggest a possible draw; some analysts forecast a scoreline of 2-2 given both teams' current trajectories . Despite Barcelona's historical dominance over Atletico in recent encounters—having won their last five league matches against them—Atletico's current form may present significant challenges for the Catalan side. Ultimately, this fixture could serve as a pivotal moment in determining La Liga’s title race moving forward.

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Sarah H

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