Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid: Match preview, predicted line-ups, team news and prediction | OneFootball

Barcelona take on Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Camp Nou on Wednesday evening.

Barcelona edged Newcastle United 8-3 on aggregate in the round of 16, while Atletico beat Tottenham Hotspur 7-5 on aggregate.

Match preview

The two sides are meeting for the fifth time this season, with Barcelona winning three and Atletico winning once.

Their last encounter was on Saturday at the Metropolitano Stadium, where Barcelona won 2-1 to go seven points clear at the top of the La Liga standings.

Barcelona rank fourth for goals scored (30) and seventh for big chances created (36) in the Champions League this season.

They have also conceded 17 goals, highlighting their defensive frailty.

Barcelona rank second for possession per game and are expected to dominate proceedings here.

The hosts will attack mostly from the right flank, using the pace and skill of Lamine Yamal. He recorded the most key passes in their last meeting.

Marcus Rashford, who scored in the last encounter and Joao Cancelo will provide attacking outlets from the left.

Barcelona have lost just twice at home to the visitors since the 2006/07 season. They will be looking to build on that impressive record to take an advantage into next Tuesday’s second leg.

Atletico rested several key players on Sunday, highlighting the significance of this tie to manager Diego Simeone.

The Rojiblancos have scored the third-most goals (31) in the competition this term and rank sixth for big chances created (37).

Atletico rank third for long balls (19.9) per game, indicating their direct style of play.

Despite being known for their solid defensive structure, they have conceded 24 goals.

Atletico will look to use their athleticism to press Barcelona aggressively. Only four teams have covered more distance per match than them.

Julian Alvarez and Ademola Lookman will be their main attacking threats. The duo will be fresh for this tie, having sat out Saturday’s clash.

Besides their poor record at Barcelona, Atleti have won just once on the road in the competition this season. They need a massive improvement to take a positive result into the second leg.

Team news

Barcelona’s Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal are ruled out. Ronald Araujo is fit, despite coming off injured in the last game.

Manager Hansi Flick is expected to reinstate Robert Lewandowski — Saturday’s match winner — into the starting line-up. Fermin Lopez or Dani Olmo could be dropped.

Atletico have received multiple fitness boost, with Jan Oblak, Marc Pubill and Rodrigo Mendoza all returning to training, but Pablo Barrios remains sidelined.

Oblak, Alvarez, Lookman, David Hancko, and Matteo Ruggeri are all expected to return to Atletico’s starting line-up.

Predicted line-ups

Barcelona (4-3-3): Joan Garcia, Joao Cancelo, Ronaldo Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Eric Garcia, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Marcus Rashford, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski.

Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Juan Oblak, Nahuel Molina, David Hancko, Jose Maria Gimenez, Mateo Ruggeri, Koke, Alex Baena, Giuliano Simeone, Ademola Lookman, Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez.

Prediction

Given Barcelona’s greater attacking prowess and Atletico’s own defensive flaws, we predict a 3-2 win for the hosts.

Stats from sofascore.com & transfermarkt.com