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
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.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Garcia; Kounde, Garcia, Cubarsi, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Molina, Gimenez, Hancko, Ruggeri; Cardoso; Simeone, Barrios, Koke, Baena; Alvarez
EXPERT PREDICTION
Barcelona 2-2 Atletico Madrid
