Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will meet at Camp Nou on Tuesday in a clash that could have major implications for the La Liga title race. Barcelona enter the contest at the top of the table, while Diego Simeone’s men are three points behind in fourth and eager to close the gap.
Barcelona have not consistently hit the same heights they displayed last season, but they have still put themselves in a strong position after 14 league matches. Hansi Flick’s side have collected 11 wins, one draw and just two defeats, and they approach the Atletico clash on the back of four consecutive La Liga victories following their El Clasico loss to Real Madrid in late October.
They recovered from recent Champions League disappointment against Chelsea by beating Alaves 3-1 on Saturday. Despite conceding just 43 seconds into the match – their earliest league concession in two years – the hosts rallied as Lamine Yamal equalised and Dani Olmo struck twice to secure all three points. The result extended Barcelona’s unbeaten league run against Alaves to 16 games and pushed them above Real Madrid, who later dropped points against Girona.
With Real Madrid not playing until Wednesday, Barcelona have the opportunity to open up a four-point lead at the top. Having scored a league-high 39 goals, they will feel confident in their ability to break down an Atletico side that prides itself on defensive solidity and currently boasts the joint-best defensive record in the division.
Atletico, meanwhile, have transformed their fortunes after a slow start that yielded just three wins from their first eight league matches. They have since embarked on a superb run, winning each of their last six La Liga games and their last seven matches in all competitions since suffering a heavy Champions League defeat to Arsenal in October.
Their belief received another major boost last Wednesday when they secured a late 2-1 Champions League win over Inter Milan, and they followed that up with a controlled 2-0 league win against Real Oviedo thanks to Alexander Sorloth’s first-half double. That victory moved Simeone level with Real Madrid legend Miguel Muñoz on 323 La Liga wins as a manager, and Tuesday’s encounter offers the chance to move clear in second place on the all-time list.
This fixture, brought forward from January due to the Spanish Super Cup, will see Atletico attempt to win consecutive away league matches against Barcelona for the first time in modern history. Sorloth’s dramatic 96th-minute winner last December sealed a rare victory at Camp Nou, and Simeone will hope his in-form squad can repeat that feat in another pivotal showdown.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Athletic will welcome back Ruiz de Galarreta from suspension, giving the midfield a timely boost, although Oihan Sancet remains unavailable as he serves the final match of his ban. The Basque side are still dealing with several injury issues, with Benat Prados, Unai Egiluz, Maroan Sannadi and Robert Navarro all ruled out. Inaki Williams has missed the last seven games with a groin problem and is still a major doubt for this fixture.
Navarro’s continued absence is likely to hand Unai Gomez a place in the starting lineup on Wednesday, while 18-year-old Selton Sanchez could also be given an opportunity. Aymeric Laporte is expected to return to the squad after illness kept him out of the match against Levante.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, are without Dani Carvajal due to a knee injury, while Dean Huijsen, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy are also sidelined. However, Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger both returned from injury in the recent game against Girona and should retain their places at the heart of the defence. Alvaro Carreras is set to come back in at left-back.
Eduardo Camavinga may be drafted into the midfield to replace Arda Guler, potentially allowing Jude Bellingham to operate behind a front pairing of Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe. Raul Asencio is also available again after recovering from illness.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Simon; Gorosabel, Laporte, Vivian, Berchiche; Ruiz de Galarreta, Jauregizar; Berenguer, Sanchez, N Williams; Gomez
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Militao, Rudiger, Carreras; Camavinga, Valverde, Tchouameni; Bellingham; Mbappe, Vinicius
EXPERT PREDICTION
Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Real Madrid
