Atletico Madrid v Barcelona: Expect cards in crunch clash

• 28 cards in last three meetings of these two

• Yamal has landed 1+ SOT in 8 of his last 9 starts

• Back Bet Builder double at around 21/103.10

• Read about Betfair's 90 Minute Payout offer here

Atletico Madrid v Barcelona
Sunday 17 March, 20:00
Live on Viaplay Sports 1 and ITV4

When you're stuck in a rut the last thing you need is a red card after nine minutes to completely scupper your selection but that's exactly what happened for me in this column yesterday.

It's hard to be confident about much when that sort of thing is happening but the theory goes you're supposed to carry on regardless of previous results and so we move onto what promises to be a intriguing game in La Liga on Sunday night.

Barcelona know defeat would essentially end their title hopes - it would leave them 11 points behind leaders Real Madrid - while a loss for Atletico would kept them outside the top four heading into the final nine games of the season.

Leg 1: Over 5.5 cards

Much is at stake and so a highly competitive encounter looks likely.

With referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez in charge, I'm happy to back over 5.5 cards.

He's averaging 5.5 cards per game in the Spanish top flight this season, while the recent history of this fixture shows there have been 28 cards shown in the three meetings since the start of 2022/23 with the make-ups being 9-12-7.

Antoine Griezmann and Joao Felix (probably from the bench) will be among those appearing against former clubs which should add a bit more spice to proceedings.

All things considered, 5/61.84 about 6+ cards looks decent.

Leg 2: Lamine Yamal 1+ shot on target

To complete the Bet Builder, I'm going to add Lamine Yamal for a shot on target.

The teenager has landed this in eight of his last nine starts, including both recent Champions League games against Napoli.

Barca rank second for shots taken in the division, while Atletico - perhaps surprisingly - are seventh when it comes to most shots conceded.

I also considered Ilkay Gundogan (SOT In six of his last nine) but he may well get a more defensive role in this game given the level of opposition.

For those seeking someone in this market on the home side, Samuel Lino has delivered 1+ SOT in seven of his last eight.

He could easily be added to form a 9/25.50 shot but I'll stick with the double which pays just over 2/13.00 in a bid to end the week on a winning note.

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