I do not think that Atletico Madrid will pass Barcelona, that would be a bit too much. I get how it looks like Real could do that, it's clear that Barcelona had a bad period and they are hoping to get better results, but it would be very very tough for ATM to pass Barcelona, that would require both teams to keep their momentum for a while longer, Barcelona to keep losing or getting draws, and atm to keep on winning more and more, that seems like unlikely if you ask me but of course it's football, anything could happen.
Not that I love Barcelona too much, I am neither Spanish nor catalan, so I don't care, but I do hate industrial football and the "pay to win" aspect of it, so I would rather see Barcelona win this season than Real Madrid.
Although Barcelona have experienced a slight decline but still, when it is a big match then they will play with their best efforts. Moreover, Barcelona will also play at home and based on the odds too, the fact that Barcelona is still very much a favorite because in their five match meetings, Barcelona has always managed to beat Atletico. Indeed, at this moment also that the points between Barcelona and Atletico only have a gap of three points, and it also proves that Atletico also still has a good chance to get points. But even so, I believe it is difficult for Atletico to beat Barcelona, but for a draw it seems possible.
Barcelona have played well in every match against big teams this season. Barcelona have lost points in several matches in La Liga. However, Barcelona have lost points in every match against small teams. Barcelona have lost against teams like Las Palmas and Osasuna. We have seen strong performances from Barcelona against teams like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Atletico Madrid is a strong team. However, Barcelona is able to perform very well this season. Moreover, Barcelona will play against Atletico at their home. I will definitely consider Barcelona as the favorite in this match.