Atletico Madrid will host Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday, with a spot in the semi-finals on the line.
Atletico Madrid managed to pick up a 2-0 win in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final vs Barcelona, and they will be confident of getting the job done here. The Colchoneros are coming into this game on the back of four defeats in their last five matches, with the only win coming in the first leg against Barcelona.
It will be interesting to see if they can step up their performance levels against the reigning La Liga champions once again. On the other hand, Barcelona have won five of their last six matches in all competitions.
Interestingly, the Catalan club’s only defeat during this run was against Atletico Madrid. They will view it as an aberration and seek to overturn the deficit here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Atletico Madrid
Jan Oblak, Jose Maria Gimenez, David Hancko, Johnny Cardoso, and Pablo Barrios are all unavailable, while Marc Pubill is suspended. Atletico Madrid will shape up in a 4-4-2 formation vs Barcelona, with Juan Musso in goal.
Marcos Llorente and Matteo Ruggeri will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight defensively and help out during transition. Robin Le Normand and Clement Lenglet will form the central defensive partnership.
Giovanni Simeone and Ademola Lookman will start on the flanks. They will look to protect the full-backs and help out in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Koke will start alongside Rodrigo Mendoza.
They will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park and break down the opposition’s attacking moves. Finally, Julian Alvarez will lead the line for Atletico Madrid alongside Antoine Griezmann.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Musso, Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Ruggeri; Simeone, Mendoza, Koke, Lookman; Griezmann, Alvarez
Barcelona
Barcelona are without Pau Cubarsi, who will serve a suspension after being sent off in the first leg. Meanwhile, the injured trio of Andreas Christensen, Raphinha and Marc Bernal remain in the treatment room.
Barcelona will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Atletico Madrid, with Joan Garcia in goal. Jules Kounde and Joao Cancelo will start as the full-backs. They will keep things tight at the back and hit Atletico Madrid on the break. Ronald Araujo and Gerard Martin will pair up at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Eric Garcia will add defensive cover from the double pivot, and Pedri will add composure, creativity and control alongside him. Dani Olmo will start in the number ten role and look to link the midfield to the attack.
He will also look to create opportunities for his teammates in the final third. Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford will add pace, flair, and goals on either side of him. Finally, Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Joan Garcia; Kounde, Araujo, Martin, Cancelo; Eric Garcia, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Rashford; Lewandowski
Key Stats
- Atletico Madrid have lost four of their last five matches in all competitions.
- Barcelona have picked up a win in five of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Barcelona picked up a win in four of their last six matches against Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, 17 goals have been scored in their last six matches between these two teams.
- No side have conceded more goals in the UEFA Champions League since the start of last season than Barcelona (43). They’ve conceded in each of their last 14 matches, with no Spanish side ever going 15 games without a clean sheet in the competition.
- Lamine Yamal leads all Barcelona players for successful dribbles (37) and total shots (32) in the UEFA Champions League this season. Meanwhile, no player has created more chances for the club than the 18-year-old (20), while only Fermín López (10) has been involved in more goals (9 – 5 goals, 4 assists).
Player to Watch
Julian Alvarez
The Atletico Madrid striker is our key player to watch out for. Alvarez was outstanding in the first leg of the quarter-finals, and the home team will depend on him to get them through to the next round.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner is more than just a goalscorer, and he could also create important opportunities for his teammates. Additionally, he has applied more high-intensity pressures than any other player in the UEFA Champions League this season (767), while only Ayoub El Kaabi (123) has applied more in the opposition box than the Argentine (116).
So, Barcelona will need to keep the 26-year-old striker quiet if they want to turn things around. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid will hope that Julian Alvarez can make a defining impact with his engine and help them reach the semi-finals.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 1-2 Barcelona
Both teams will look to put up a strong fight here, and this is likely to be a cracking contest. Atletico Madrid did well against Barcelona in the first leg, but this will be a difficult outing. The Blaugrana will be desperate to overturn the deficit.
Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet, and Barcelona should be able to grind out a narrow victory. They have more quality in the attack, and they will look to rectify their mistakes from the first leg. However, it might not be enough to get them through to the semi-finals.
