Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona Betting Tips: Cards on the menu in Madrid

Live on ITV4 on Sunday evening Atletico Madrid take on Barcelona. We’ve previewed the game and provided you with two bets that we like the look of.

After 15 matches in La Liga, Atletico Madrid are fourth in the table, 11 points behind Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top. Diego Simeone’s side have only played one league match since the World Cup which was a 2-0 home win over Elche. Prior to the break they were winless in three matches suffering defeats on the road to Cadiz and Mallorca. 

Barcelona are unbeaten in their last six in La Liga, and have won their last four away from home. Just goal difference separates themselves and rivals Real Madrid in the table heading into the weekend and after thumping Atletico 4-2 when the two sides last met in February, they will have their eyes on three points once again.

Taking a look at the match result odds and Barcelona are the 13/10 favourites to come away victorious. The draw can be backed at 12/5, with a win for the hosts available at 21/10.

When Atletico Madrid and Barcelona meet it can usually mean that a high card-count is on the menu. In nine of the last 10 meetings between the pair, at least four cards have been dished out. Both of our picks for Sunday are card related with the first of those being for Ousmane Dembele to be carded. 

Not the first name that comes to mind when thinking about common culprits between these teams, but Dembele has been shown three yellows in the league this season, with only two members of the Barcelona squad having more. Bet365 go 11/2 for Demebele to be carded in this fixture which looks a stand-out price considering other firms are much much shorter with SkyBet going 9/4 and William Hill 21/10.

Another good omen here could be that referee Jose Munuera will be the man in charge of the game. Munuera averages a healthy 5 yellows per game this season and hit double figures when giving out 10 in a match between Getafe and Athletic Bilbao in October.

Our second bet of the evening comes via bet365’s Bet Builder feature where we are backing Jose Gimenez and Ferran Torres to both be carded. 

No player has been shown more yellows for Atletico this season than Gimenez with five in just 10 league appearances. The Uruguayan has also made three appearances in the Copa del Rey this season and was booked in all of them!

The other player we are targeting is Barcelona’s Ferran Torres. Again like Gimenez, nobody has been cautioned more for their club this campaign than Torres who leads the way along Sergio Busquets for the Catalans. In total, Torres has four cautions in 14 league appearances in 2022/2023 and combining him and Gimenez to find their way into the book pays 14/1.

Did you know that bet365 pay your team out as a winner if they go 2 goals ahead at any time in the match (available on over 80 leagues and competitions, T&C's apply). Find out more on our bet365 offers page.