Barcelona clash offers Atletico chance to prove La Liga title credentials

Barcelona clash offers Atletico chance to prove La Liga title credentials Atletico Madrid have not won the La Liga title since 2020-21 when they finished two points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid. Last season, they finished fourth in the league standings, with an incredible 25 points off the champions Barcelona. Atletico have made an impressive start to the 2026-27 campaign, sparking hopes they could clinch their 12th La Liga title. Diego Simeone’s men have suffered just one league defeat and that came away at Athletic Bilbao in September. Since then, they have recorded seven straight wins, including a 2-1 home victory over Real before the last international break. Atletico currently have the best defensive record in the division, having conceded just eight goals in 11 games. Big opportunity for Atletico Barcelona and Real have dominated the title race conversations this term, but the Rojiblancos have a big opportunity to prove their credentials this Sunday. The Blaugrana will visit the Metropolitano Stadium, hoping to maintain their lead at the top of the table. Atletico knocked Barcelona out of last season’s Champions League after a 3-2 aggregate win in the quarter-finals. But the Catalan giants have won their previous three La Liga fixtures against their Madrid rivals. Atletico have been excellent in the Spanish league, but they will be smarting after a disappointing 2-0 home loss to Bayern Munich in midweek. The Indians sought to frustrate their German opponents through a compact, low-block structure. Their plan seemed to work as they kept the score 0-0 in the first-half. However, teenage star Lennart Karl broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, snatching the ball from Robin le Normand and chipping it over Jan Oblak. Konrad Laimer added another with a ferocious strike, handing Atletico their second Champions League defeat. Simeone and his team will look to bounce back with a win against Barcelona on Sunday. Securing maximum points against the reigning champions will be difficult, but a victory would put them firmly in the race for the La Liga crown.