BETDAQ’s Greg Walker is back with an in-depth preview Sunday’s La Liga clash between Atletico Madrid v FC Barcelona which is live on Sky.
Greg is now 21.83 points in front with 19 WINNING BETS FROM 33 !!
Greg is BETDAQ’s spokesperson and has plenty to say on the subject of football. Each week he brings his recommended BETDAQ bets across a range of matches but with focus on his area of expertise – European and International football.
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He now previews Atletico Madrid v FC Barcelona…..
La Liga
Atletico Madrid v FC Barcelona
KO 18:00, Sunday
Adios Sir Alex….
There is not a football article across the world that will not have failed to mention the retirement of football’s greatest ever manager. Love or loathe Manchester United, football fans across the globe can never dispute that Sir Alex is an icon and living legend of this game and he will be forever remembered for not just his successful football achievements but for his tactical astuteness and winning belief for which is the rarest of all football commodities . On a personal note I had the honour of meeting and talking with the living legend a few years ago and he was an absolute gentleman….Adios Sir Alex.
La Liga Week 35…
Only four games to go and it is still quite open at the bottom where Islander’s Mallorca are all at sea with a meagre 29 points and, with four very tough games to come, looking the most likely to be the first to drop. It looks likely that two from Celta Vigo, Deportivo,Ossauna,Zaragoza and Granada will fill the other doomed places however it is all still to play for these fearful five and it should go right to the season’s final match day.
Now that Malaga have thrown in the towel it is both Valencia and Real Sociedad that are fighting it out for the Champion’s League qualifier fourth spot and with similar run-ins I feel that the current two point advantage Sociedad hold may be just enough for the Basques. Champion’s elect FC Barcelona need only two more points from their four remaining games to clinch this season’s La Liga title. On Sunday the ‘Blaugrana’ travel to the capital Madrid where they will hope to clinch the title at the Estadio Vicente Calderon and it is on this game for which I see a potential winning wager.
Ups and downs…FCB style….
It seems an eternity now since FC Barcelona were destroyed by Bayern Munich and whilst a huge disappointment it will be the winning of another La Liga title that will certainly return smiles to the faces of FCB players and fans alike. The Catalans got back into their comfort zone last week when beating a decent Real Betis side four goals to two. Three times FIFA Ballon D’or winner Lionel Messi came off the bench for the second Liga game running and of course made an immediate impact by scoring two and hitting the wood work once. It was just at the time of Messi’s substitution that David Villa scored his goal but Villa was guilty of missing a series of simple goal scoring chances in the first half. David Villa is the subject of much transfer talk and these rare misses will certainly not distract suitors from this world class footballer. There is no question that Messi’s injury came at a shocking time for FCB and did have a serious negative impact on some of their recent results. The Argentinean is now back and his return will have the opposite impact on his team which in turn is bad news for their last four opponents, starting with Atletico Madrid.
The tinker man….?
As stated in past articles, Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone had two realistic targets at the start of this season for his talented squad. Target one is successfully complete with three games to spare after booking a place in next Season’s Champion’s League with their midweek defeat of Celta Vigo. Target two is victory in the ‘ Copa Del Rey’ for which they have one minor obstacle to overcome to secure success, Real Madrid! This has now become a monumental game in Atletico’s season and their home tie against Barcelona this Sunday can only be a thorn in the side for the Madrid based outfit. It is well known that Atletico have the tightest home defence in La Liga having conceded only ten goals in seventeen games at the Vincente Calderon. Whilst ‘Los Colcheneros’ have a very strong regular eleven that are always hard to beat it is when coach Simeone decides to tinker with this team that they become weak. This season Simeone tinkered in the Europa League and their results were not up to standard. Defeats away to lowly Portuguese outfit Academia Coimbra and Czech side Viktoria Plzen plus a rare home defeat, conceding two goals, to the Russian team Rubin who were down to ten men for forty five minutes.
Barcelona rocking….!
There is a certain irony in this game in that both of these sides share a common enemy in Real Madrid. FC Barcelona are coming to Madrid intent on taking the La Liga trophy back from ‘Los Blancos’ whilst Atletico will be focusing a week ahead to their clash in the ‘Copa’ final with their cross city rivals, a trophy currently held by Barcelona. The two managers involved in this game have two very different agendas. Tito Villanova will put out his best eleven, including Messi, to secure the la Liga title. Diego Simeone, I predict!, will rest some key players including outstanding goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, temperamental but influential Diego Costa and possibly Falcao.
Some pundits would have You believe Barcelona have crashed and burned in the past few weeks but here are their results for their last eight games, won six drew two. This Sunday I believe FC Barcelona will be crowned La Liga Champions.
Betting on BETDAQ-Greg’s Tips:
BACK 4 Points BARCELONA TO WIN @ 2.01
PROFIT TO DATE: 21.83 points
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