Diego Simeone’s Atletico have won their last seven La Liga games. The run includes a 2-1 defeat of Real Madrid just before the last international break, and it is the main reason matchday 12 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano looks more like a title fixture than a November warm-up.
Barcelona arrive on 30 points, Atletico on 28, according to the Sports Mole preview. Lose on Sunday and Hansi Flick’s team hand the initiative to a side that has not missed a beat since September.
Atletico’s seven-match league run
The headline result inside the streak is the 2-1 win over Real Madrid. Simeone’s men followed it with a 2-0 victory at Levante the weekend after the international break, keeping the pressure on Barcelona at the top of the table.
The one blot was in Europe. Atletico lost 0-2 at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, as Goal noted in its preview, with Morten Hjulmand absent for that game. The Danish midfielder is back in the squad to face Barcelona, a boost for Simeone’s engine room.
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Barcelona’s injury list keeps growing
Flick’s selection headache is now a chapter of its own. Dani Olmo (adductor), Roony Bardghji (knee) and Xavi Espart (ankle) are ruled out, Sports Mole reports in its dedicated injury file, with Bardghji sidelined by a torn ACL and Olmo not expected back until the Villarreal fixture on 22 November.
Jules Koundé (ankle), Andreas Christensen (thigh) and Eric Garcia (thigh) are all listed as late assessments, meaning Barcelona’s back line will only be finalized close to kick-off. The Catalans may lean on Marc Bernal in midfield, with young full-back Brian Farinas in contention at right-back if Koundé does not make it.
History favors Barcelona at the Metropolitano
For all Atletico’s form, one statistic sits uncomfortably in their dressing room: Barcelona are unbeaten away at Atletico in La Liga since October 2021. Simeone’s side have not beaten them in the league at any venue since December 2024.
Sports Mole’s tipster line goes with that pattern, predicting a 2-1 away win for Barcelona despite the injury list.
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A Barcelona defeat on Sunday would cut the lead to minus one and reshape the title conversation seven weeks before Christmas. A draw keeps the two-point gap intact and leaves Real Madrid, on 27 points, within touching distance of both.
Kick-off at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano is at 9pm local time on Sunday, 8 November.
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