One of the biggest matches on the Spanish football calendar will take place at the Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday night, as Atletico Madrid host Barcelona in La Liga.

It is a meeting between the top two in the La Liga table, with Barcelona currently at the summit on 30 points, while Atletico are second on 28 points.

Match preview

Atletico have not won the La Liga title since 2020-21, and they finished fourth in Spain's top flight last season, 25 points off the champions Barcelona, but this Atleti team have the look of a side capable of making a strong challenge for the trophy in 2026-27.

Diego Simeone's team have won nine, drawn one and lost one of their 11 league matches this season to collect 28 points, which has left them in second position in the division.

Atletico have won each of their last seven league matches, including a 2-1 success over Real Madrid before the last international break, and they will now be bidding to enter the upcoming international period off the back of a victory over the champions.

The Red and Whites posted a 2-0 victory over Levante in their last league match, but they will enter this fixture off the back of a defeat, going down 2-0 at home to Bayern Munich in the league stage of the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Atletico knocked Barcelona out in the quarter-finals of last season's Champions League, but they have not overcome the Catalan team in the league since December 2024.

Barcelona are actually unbeaten away from home against Atletico in the league since October 2021, so they will be protecting a strong record in this match.

Hansi Flick's side saw an 11-game winning run at the start of the campaign come to an end on October 20, when they were beaten 4-2 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, before losing 2-1 at home to Real Madrid in La Liga five days later.

However, the Catalan team have managed to win their last two matches, posting a 6-1 victory over Alaves in the league last time out, before beating Aston Villa 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Barcelona are top of the La Liga table on 30 points and have incredibly scored 46 times in their 11 domestic matches, which is more than double Atletico's goal tally (22).

Flick's team are once again title favourites, but the recent defeat to Real Madrid was a real setback, and it is shaping up to be another fascinating contest in the Spanish capital on Sunday, as second welcomes first.

Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

Barcelona La Liga form:

Barcelona form (all competitions):

Team News

Atletico will be without the services of Cristian Romero (muscle) and Johnny Cardoso (thigh), but Morten Hjulmand will return to the squad, having missed the Champions League contest with Bayern last time out through injury.

Lee Kang-in is expected to be introduced back into the starting side on Sunday, with the 25-year-old potentially featuring alongside Julian Alvarez in the final third of the field.

Alvarez is set to line up against the team that he wanted to join over the summer, and the Argentina international will be bidding to add to the one league goal that he has scored during the 2026-27 campaign.

As for Barcelona, Dani Olmo (adductor), Roony Bardghji (knee) and Xavi Espart (ankle) are definitely out of the match, while Eric Garcia (thigh), Jules Kounde (ankle) and Andreas Christensen (thigh) all face late assessments.

Rodri (hamstring) was forced off against Aston Villa last time out and will also be absent, which could open the door for Marc Bernal to feature alongside Pedri in midfield.

Brian Farinas should retain his spot at right-back for Barcelona, while Anthony Gordon is expected to be selected alongside Lamine Yamal and Raphinha in the final third of the field.

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Grimaldo; Simeone, Barrios, Hjulmand, Baena; Lee, Alvarez

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

J Garcia; Farinas, Cubarsi, Martin, Cancelo; Bernal, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Gordon; Raphinha

We say: Atletico Madrid 1-2 Barcelona

This is such a difficult match to call; we came close to backing a draw - either 1-1 or 2-2 - but have ultimately settled on a narrow success for the reigning champions.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.