Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona prediction 08.11.2026 | La Liga

Atlético Madrid had an awesome start to the La Liga campaign as they collected 28 points from 11 rounds (9-1-1 W/L/D) and are only two points away from the top spot. With a possible win here, they would secure the top spot! However, in the Champions League, they weren't as good, as they won three points in three matches. Still, they had one of the hardest schedules, if not the hardest, facing Liverpool, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich. However, they will now have a lot easier games, and we expect them to do better in that competition.

After a 2:0 loss to Bayern Munich, coach Diego Simeone spoke to the media. He said Bayern are simply a better team at the moment and that they have to give 120% to secure a positive result. The coach said they competed well until Bayern scored the opening goal in the second half. From that point, they struggled to respond. 

When it comes to injuries, the team shouldn't have new ones, but Johnny Cardoso and Cristian Romero should remain sidelined with theirs.

Barcelona have been outstanding this season, especially on offense. However, even though they dominated most teams, losses to PSG and Real Madrid in late October are definitely worrying. With Atlético being relatively close to these teams' quality, this is another big test for the Catalan team to prove they can beat the good teams as well. After those losses to PSG and Real Madrid, Barcelona recovered with big wins over Alaves (6:1) and in-form Aston Villa (3:0). 

After the Villa game, coach Hansi Flick said they defended well and stayed compact, praising their defensive line and goalkeeper Joan Garcia. The coach was most satisfied with keeping a clean sheet against Aston Villa. The coach also added that Rodri was subbed due to a muscular problem. However, there is no news about whether the midfielder is ready for the Atlético game. 

Besides the questionable Rodri, the team should miss a few players due to previous injuries: Andreas Christensen, Xavi Espart, Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde, Dani Olmo, and Roony Bardghji.