Wanda Metropolitano will play host to a gigantic La Liga contest on Sunday evening, as title rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona go head-to-head in one of the most important matches of the season to date.
Barcelona are currently top of the La Liga table, one point ahead of third-placed Atletico, and both teams will enter this match off the back of Champions League fixtures.
Match preview
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Atletico suffered penalty heartbreak in the Champions League on Wednesday night, with the Red and Whites knocked out by bitter rivals Real Madrid, and Julian Alvarez‘s double tap in the shootout will live long in the memory.
Diego Simeone‘s side were 1-0 winners over Los Blancos in the second leg of their last-16 tie, and they can certainly take a lot of confidence from what was a excellent performance, but the team again came up short against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Atletico simply cannot afford to dwell on the disappointment, though, as they can still win a double this season, with the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Barcelona taking place at the start of April, and the two sides are level at 4-4 from the first leg.
The Red and Whites are third in the La Liga table, meanwhile, only one point behind Barcelona, but the Catalan outfit do have a game in hand, with their contest against Osasuna last Saturday being postponed at the final moment.
Atletico were actually beaten 2-1 by Getafe in the league last time out, with that result a huge setback in terms of their title hopes, but Simeone’s team have the second-best home record in La Liga this term, picking up 34 points from 14 matches.
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While Atletico have been excellent at home this season, Barcelona have the best away record in La Liga, picking up 30 points from their 14 games on their travels courtesy of a record of nine wins, three draws and two defeats.
Hansi Flick‘s side are still on for a treble this season, having secured their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League courtesy of a 3-1 success over Benfica in the second leg of their last-16 contest on Tuesday night.
Barcelona had been due to tackle Osasuna in La Liga last weekend, but that match was postponed at the final moment following the devastating news that their first-team doctor Carles Minarro Garcia had passed away in the hours before kickoff.
The division leaders therefore have a game in hand over Real Madrid and Atletico, placing them in an even stronger position at the summit, while their attacking plays this season has been incredibly impressive, finding the back of the net on 71 occasions in 26 league games, with Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal all enjoying fine campaigns.
Barcelona are winless in their two games with Atletico this season, though, suffering a 2-1 defeat in the reverse league game back in September, while it was 4-4 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final in February.
The Catalan team will have fond memories of their last game at Wanda Metropolitano, though, having run out 3-0 winners when the two teams locked horns for the corresponding game last season.
Team News
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Atletico will be without the services of Angel Correa through suspension against Barcelona, with the attacker handed a red card in the latter stages of the team’s 2-1 defeat to Getafe last weekend.
Koke is also a doubt, while Rodrigo De Paul will need to be assessed after picking up a knock in the latter stages of the Madrid derby, but the latter is ultimately expected to be available for selection.
There might be just the one change from the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Real Madrid, with Nahuel Molina potentially coming in for Marcos Llorente, but Conor Gallagher should retain his spot in the XI.
As for Barcelona, Marc Bernal and Marc-Andre ter Stegen remain unavailable for selection due to long-term knee injuries, but Andreas Christensen, in theory, is now available and could potentially be in the squad.
Flick has big decisions to make all over the pitch, namely in the middle of the defence, with Inigo Martinez potentially the player to miss out, while Dani Olmo may be given the nod over Gavi in the number 10 position.
Yamal, Raphinha and Lewandowski will again feature as the front three, while Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the nod over Marc Casado, with Barcelona again set to have an incredibly strong bench for the title showdown.
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Molina, Gimenez, Lenglet, Reinildo; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
We say: Atletico Madrid 1-1 Barcelona
There has not actually been a league draw between these two sides since May 2021, while Barcelona have won five of their last seven games in all competitions; Atletico are so strong at home, though, and we are expecting Simeone’s team to be good enough to secure a share of the spoils on Sunday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
