Atletico Madrid v Barcelona: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch

La Liga,
Round 12

Atletico Madrid
ATM

8/11/2026
20:00

Barcelona
BAR

Riyadh Air Metropolitano

Preview for Atletico Madrid v Barcelona

Barcelona lead La Liga by two points from Atlético Madrid but a home win would send Diego Simeone's team top heading into the international break.

Barcelona have recovered well from their difficult spell in late October. After defeats to PSG and Real Madrid, they thrashed Alavés 6-1 and then beat Aston Villa 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Their attacking numbers in La Liga are extraordinary. Barca have scored 46 goals in 11 league games, more than double Atlético's total of 22.

Atlético have been relentless in La Liga. They have won nine, drawn one and lost one of their 11 games, collecting 28 points, and they signed off October with a 2-0 win at Levante. They come into this game on the back of a defeat, though, after going down 2-0 at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Flick has unfinished business with Simeone. Atlético knocked Barcelona out of both the Copa del Rey and the Champions League last season, winning the cup semi-final 4-3 on aggregate and the Champions League quarter-final 3-2.

League meetings have gone Barcelona's way, though. Atlético haven't beaten them in La Liga since December 2024, and they have lost six of their last seven home games against the Catalans.

La Liga Table

Team News for Atletico Madrid v Barcelona

Barcelona have been hit by a major blow in midfield. Rodri, the summer signing from Manchester City, was substituted at half-time against Villa and will be out for around a month with a hamstring injury.

Dani Olmo, Jules Koundé and Eric García are all still out, so João Cancelo should continue at right-back, with Alejandro Balde on the left.

Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Anthony Gordon are expected to lead the attack.

For Atlético, former Barca target Julián Ãlvarez and Lee Kang-in are expected to start in attack, with Alex Baena and Giuliano Simeone out wide.

Expected line-ups for Atletico Madrid v Barcelona

Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Grimaldo; G. Simeone, Barrios, Hjulmand, Baena; Lee, Ãlvarez

Barcelona: Joan García; Cancelo, Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Balde; Bernal, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermín, Gordon; Raphinha

Recent Form for Atletico Madrid v Barcelona

Where to Watch Atletico Madrid v Barcelona: TV and online streams

Atlético Madrid v Barcelona kicks off at 8pm GMT (9pm local time) on Sunday, November 8 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

In the UK, it is being shown on Premier Sports and you can stream on the Premier Sports Player.

Prediction for Atletico Madrid v Barcelona

A tough one to predict with both sides in great form. We're going to go for a draw, leaving Real Madrid as the biggest winners this weekend assuming they see off Valencia on Saturday night.

Atletico Madrid

1 – 1

Barcelona