Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid go head-to-head in a blockbuster La Liga top-four showdown on Tuesday night.

Only three points separate these sides in first and fourth, with Real Madrid and Villarreal sitting between them in what is a highly competitive title race this year.

Atleti will be looking to expose Barça’s shaky defence to close the gap on the league leaders.

Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid – Match preview and team news

Barcelona team news

Barcelona could hand a start to Pedri following his return from a hamstring injury in the second half of their 3-1 victory over Alaves on Saturday. The midfielder is expected to feature alongside Frenkie de Jong, who was absent from the Alaves game due to personal matters. However, Ronald Araujo remains a major doubt after missing the last game due to illness following his red card against Chelsea. Barcelona have no players suspended for the home game against Atletico.

Raphinha has completed his recovery from a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined since late September and is available for selection. The Brazilian winger showed impressive form against Alaves, assisting the second goal. Goalkeeper Joan Garcia made an excellent save late in the Alaves match, earning praise from club legend Leo Messi.

Barcelona’s absentee list includes Marc-Andre ter Stegen (back surgery), Gavi (knee injury), and Fermin Lopez (calf injury). The German goalkeeper returned to training for the first time since his back operation in the summer, though manager Hansi Flick avoided committing to his return timeline.

Atletico Madrid team news

Atletico Madrid will be without midfielder Marcos Llorente for the third consecutive match due to a thigh muscle injury he sustained against Getafe on 23rd November. Centre-back Robin Le Normand is unlikely to feature as he continues recovery from a high-grade knee injury suffered in early November. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak has returned to action following an injury layoff and featured in the 2-0 victory over Real Oviedo.

Atletico have no suspension concerns ahead of the midweek clash. Despite Alexander Sorloth’s brace in the recent 2-0 home win over Oviedo, manager Diego Simeone indicated the striker may rest on the bench as Julian Alvarez is anticipated to lead the attack.

Form

Barcelona: DWWLW

Hansi Flick’s side ended their previous La Liga encounter with a 3-1 victory over Alaves to temporarily lead the table with 34 points from 14 matches. Barcelona won their fourth consecutive league match, marking an impressive run of form. The Blaugrana have won all seven of their home league games this season, maintaining an impeccable record at the Spotify Camp Nou. Following a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League in midweek, Barcelona bounced back against Alaves.

Atletico Madrid: WWWWW

Atletico Madrid impressively stretched their unbeaten La Liga run to 13 consecutive matches after a 2-0 home victory over Real Oviedo, with Alexander Sorloth scoring twice. Los Rojiblancos sit fourth in the La Liga table with 31 points from 14 matches, just three points behind Barcelona. Diego Simeone’s side is on a remarkable run of seven victories across all competitions since their 4-0 defeat to Arsenal in October.

Predicted lineups

Barcelona: Garcia; Kounde, Garcia, Cubarsi, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski

Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Molina, Gimenez, Hancko, Ruggeri; Cardoso; Simeone, Barrios, Koke, Baena; Alvarez

How to watch Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid?

Premier Sports will broadcast the fixture in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

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