Atletico Madrid will welcome Barcelona in the standout La Liga clash at the Civitas Metropolitano on Sunday night
La Liga leaders Barcelona will take on fourth-placed Atletico Madrid in the standout La Liga fixture this weekend at the Civitas Metropolitano.
The Blaugrana have impressed in the league this season and currently occupy the top spot on goal difference, ahead of defending champions and arch-rivals Real Madrid. They will hope to hold onto the summit come to the end of the week.
While Barcelona’s success this season in the league is built on the foundations of a solid defence, Atletico Madrid, long vaunted as a defensive unit has struggled to find its mojo. Diego Simeone’s side have won just eight of their opening 15 games and are well off the pace in the title race.
Any game at the Civitas Metropolitano is a difficult affair, and Atletico will be keen to take advantage of their opponents’ vulnerability of late. Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw by Espanyol last weekend and struggled to a 4-3 win over third-tier Intercity Sant Joan d’ Alacant midweek in the Copa del Rey.
Despite dropping out of the UEFA Champions League at the group stages, Barcelona remains in contention for four different trophies. With the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Real Betis to come, Xavi will need to rotate his squad with minimal margin for error.
Atletico can’t just have the chance to go third with a win but also put a dent into Barcelona’s hopes of holding onto the top spot. Either way, it promises to be a hard-fought game in the Spanish capital on Sunday night. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Atletico Madrid
🔜 Atleti-Barça 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Lm1YiItJHY
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) January 6, 2023
Simeone and co. will welcome back defender Stefan Savic, who returned to training ahead of the clash. Whether he starts the game or will have to settle for a spot on the bench remains to be seen.
World Cup winning midfielder Rodrigo De Paul is also unavailable, while Sergio Reguilon and Mario Hermoso are doubts. Simeone played a rather strong team midweek in the Copa del Rey and is expected to make a few changes on the night.
Portuguese striker Joao Felix is expected to return to the matchday squad. The 23-year-old’s future at the club is far from certain, and he was dropped from the side that took on Real Oviedo. Having scored in his last three La Liga games, Felix can consider himself shortchanged if not assured of at least a spot on the bench.
Simeone is expected to deploy his side out in a 3-5-2 formation. Jan Oblak should start in goal behind the back three of Stefan Savic, Axel Witsel and Jose Gimenez.
The trio of Geoffrey Kondogbia, Pablo Barrios and Koke will act as the engine room in the midfield, offering Marcos Llorente and Yannick Carrasco the freedom to push forward on the flanks. Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann are expected to lead the line against a Barca side that has shown some shakiness.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Oblak; Savic, Witsel, Gimenez; Llorente, Kondogbia, Barrios, Koke, Carrasco; Griezmann, Morata
Barcelona
Xavi’s men have been excellent in the league, but their performances in Europe leave much to be desired. The matches against Espanyol and Intercity also showcased certain chinks in the armour that Atletico could penetrate.
While Barcelona does have a clean bill of health, they will be without Jordi Alba and star striker Robert Lewandowksi for the game. Both players are suspended and will be missed by the visitors.
The Catalans had to dig deep against Intercity, having to play extra time to get the better of their less illustrious opponents. The extra half hour would have added further strain on a squad that has matches coming thick and fast. Several recognizable names are set to return to the fold for the trip to the Civitas Metropolitano.
👀 on #AtletiBarça pic.twitter.com/quksiUPxxG
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 6, 2023
Barcelona are likely to deploy in a 4-3-3 formation with Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal. Jules Kounde is likely to be shifted to right-back, with Ronaldo Araujo and Andreas Christensen forming the centre-back duo. With Alba out, Alejandro Balde looks set to start at left-back.
Frenkie de Jong should return to the midfield three, alongside Gavi and Pedri. Ferran Torres should lead the line, with Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha providing the width.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; Gavi, De Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, Torres, Dembele
Key Stats
- Atletico Madrid have won their last two home games against Barcelona in La Liga, keeping a clean sheet in both clashes. It is just the second time in history that they have managed the feat.
- Barcelona have lost just two of the last 24 games against Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
- A loss on the night will see Barcelona suffer away defeats to both Madrid giants in the same season for only the third time this century.
- It is the fifth time that Barcelona have faced off against Atletico Madrid in their first game of the calendar year. They are yet to lose to the Rojiblancos on any of the occasions.
- Barcelona have conceded just six goals in 15 La Liga games this season, by far the best defensive record of any side in the Spanish top flight this season.
Player to Watch
Ousmane Dembele
The Frenchman is one of Barcelona’s best attackers and a capable match-winner on his day. With Lewandowski absent, the onus will fall onto Dembele to provide that spark upfront on the night.
He is likely to go up against Stefan Savic or Mario Hermoso, both of whom are not fully fit at the moment. This should give the Barcelona man an edge, especially given his pace and ball control. There is every reason to believe that Barcelona’s best attacks are likely to come through Dembele.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 1-1 Barcelona
Atletico’s poor home form this season coupled with Barcelona’s struggles of late could see both sides fail to get one over the other at the weekend. Games between both teams tend to be tight affairs, and little should change on the night. Unless there is a moment of individual brilliance, both sides are likely to settle for a scoring draw.
