La Liga leaders Barcelona will look to return to winning ways when they host third-placed Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou.
While Barcelona have an 11-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, they have failed to win their last two league fixtures and will be desperate to return to winning ways when they host Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, the visitors, who are two points behind Los Blancos at third, will look to push up the table with a win over the league leaders.
Barcelona are still in a commanding position at the top of La Liga despite back-to-back draws against Girona and Getafe. Xavi Hernandez’s side have had an excellent campaign so far, winning 23, drawing four, and losing two of their 29 matches to collect 73 points.
Barcelona have the best home record in La Liga. They have picked up 36 points from their 14 matches. All their focus is on the La Liga title race, and they are eager to reclaim the trophy. While it has been a successful domestic campaign, the same cannot be said about Europe.
They failed to make it out of the group stage of the Champions League before losing to Manchester United in the Europa League knockout playoff round. The upcoming match against Atletico Madrid will be crucial for Barcelona, with Atletico Madrid having been strong on their travels, collecting 30 points from 14 games.
Speaking of, Atletico Madrid have only had league football to focus on in recent months. As a result, Diego Simeone’s side have had a brilliant run of form, winning each of their last six in the league. They have been unbeaten in Spain’s top flight since the 1-0 reverse fixture loss to Barcelona back in January.
Atletico do not really have a chance to win the league. So their focus will be on chasing down Real Madrid for second place, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side certain to have their focus elsewhere. Diego Simeone’s men have also failed to make it out of their Champions League group. They had finished bottom of their group, which saw them fail to qualify for the Europa League.
Things didn’t go according to plan for them in the Copa del Rey as they were knocked out by Real Madrid towards the end of January. It is set to be an interesting summer transfer window for Atletico, with the futures of a number of players being called into question, while there is also ongoing uncertainty surrounding Simeone’s position for next season.
Despite all that is going on, it is set to be an epic encounter between two of the best teams in world football. And, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics that could be in use.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
Xavi will be without the services of Andreas Christensen and Sergi Roberto who are out injured. Meanwhile, they could have a boost as the trio of Pedri, Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong should be a part of the squad for this match. However, they are unlikely to start in this fixture.
🚨 Pedri is fit and in the squad for #BarçaAtleti! pic.twitter.com/01bZKEcTBk
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 22, 2023
The Barcelona manager is expected to start with the 4-3-3 formation, where Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be in goal. Jules Kounde could start in one of the two full-back roles alongside Alejandro Balde. Meanwhile, at the heart of the defence, Ronald Araujo should partner with Marcos Alonso.
The league leaders have the best defence in La Liga. And they will look to be compact in the back and not allow Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann the space to do the damage.
Veteran Sergio Busquets should start as the holding midfielder, and he should have the support of Franck Kessie and Gavi. The trio will look to dominate the ball and avoid being hit on the counter by the visitors.
As far as the attack is concerned, Ansu Fati could get a rare start on the flank. Former Leeds United winger Raphinha should start on the right, and the dangerous Robert Lewandowski should be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Alonso, Balde; Kessie, Busquets, Gavi; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Fati
Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone will be without the services of Memphis Depay, who is out injured, and Reinildo, who has been ruled out from the remainder of the season. Midfielders Marcos Llorente and Geoffrey Kondogbia are out due to suspension. Meanwhile, they could have a boost as Stefan Savic is expected to return to the mix.
Sound On, Volume Up 📈 pic.twitter.com/sPAkr26foU
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) April 21, 2023
The visitors should start with the 3-5-2 formation. Jan Oblak will start in goal. The back three will feature Savic, Jose Maria Gimenez, and Mario Hermoso. Nahuel Molina and Yannick Carrasco will feature in the midfield five. The duo will be playing as the wing-backs, they will look to push higher up the field and distribute balls to the forwards.
The three in the centre of the park should be Koke, Rodrigo De Paul and Pablo Barrios. De Paul will look to help out his defence while Koke and Barrios will be in a more creative role. As far as the front two are concerned, in-form Antoine Griezmann will team up with Alvaro Morata. The former Barcelona forward has been in red-hot form and might end up being the difference between the two teams.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Oblak; Hermoso, Savic, Gimenez; Molina, De Paul, Barrios, Koke, Carrasco; Morata, Griezmann
Key Stats
- Barcelona have a historical advantage over Atletico Madrid with 97 victories in 222 matches played, compared to Atletico’s 75 wins.
- After a winless run of four matches against Atletico Madrid in La Liga, Barcelona have won their last four league games against them.
- Barcelona’s home record against Atletico Madrid is impressive having been unbeaten in their last 16 games in the league.
- The Catalan giants have drawn their last two La Liga matches 0-0, and they have not played three consecutive goalless draws in the competition since 2016.
- Atletico Madrid are in excellent form, winning their last six matches in La Liga.
Player to Watch
Antoine Griezmann
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Antoine Griezmann has been in impressive form for Atletico Madrid this season, and he is definitely a player to watch out for in their upcoming match against Barcelona. The French forward has scored 11 goals and provided nine assists in 29 La Liga matches, making him one of Atletico’s most influential players this season.
Griezmann’s skills and form make him one of the most dangerous players in La Liga. And he could be the key to Atletico Madrid’s success in this match. Diego Simeone will surely bank on the 32-year-old to deliver the goods as they look to get on better over the league leaders.
Prediction
Barcelona 1-2 Atletico Madrid
It is expected to be a closely contested affair, with both teams having a lot to play for. Barcelona will be looking to bounce back from their recent draws and maintain their position at the top of the La Liga table.
Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, will be looking to continue their impressive run of form and keep the pressure on Real Madrid for the second spot. Given the quality of both teams, a draw seems like the most likely outcome. But either team could edge it with a moment of individual brilliance. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the away team.