Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid | La Liga MD19 | OneFootball

A win over Deportivo Alaves at home helped Barcelona take the lead in La Liga, but they now face off against Atletico Madrid just over 72 hours later.

The game, part of Matchday 19 of the 2025/26 La Liga, was initially slated to be held in January, but has now been rescheduled to earlier owing to the Spanish Super Cup that will be played at that time.

The two teams will, thus, face off tomorrow night in a massive league game at the Spotify Camp Nou in what will be the first heavyweight clash at the stadium post its reopening.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid.

A lead to defend

Barcelona’s win over Alaves on Saturday helped the Catalans recover first place on the La Liga standings provisionally, and all eyes were on Real Madrid to see if they could claim back the lead.

Los Blancos, however, could only manage a draw against Girona away at Estadi Montilivi, handing Barcelona the lead for good.

Just over a month ago, when the two giants locked horns in El Clasico, Real Madrid seemed to have the clear upper hand both in terms of sporting quality and the numerical lead at the top of the table.

November, however, has not quite gone their way, and they have now dropped six of their last nine points in the competition. The result – Barcelona boast a one-point lead over them.

The Catalans’ first game back as the leaders is against Atletico Madrid tomorrow, and it will be anything but easy for them to retain that position. A win, however, will not only guarantee them the pole position but send a message that they are truly back.

Xabi Alonso’s men play away against Athletic Club on Wednesday, and there is a good chance they drop points again, given their recent form. For Barça, the best scenario will be to win and secure the lead, and even hope for it to extend.

The need for a big-game win

Barcelona have come up short in big games this season. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

While a lot has been said about Barcelona’s deficiencies this season compared to the previous campaign, the fact of the matter remains that there is not much difference in terms of the team’s position in La Liga.

At the same point last season, the Catalans had roughly the same number of points, goals scored, and conceded, and continue to be the leaders once more.

What has changed, however, is their performance in big games, which was significantly better and more convincing in the previous campaign.

Unlike how they dominated and defeated Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and others last season, the Catalans are yet to win a single big game this season and have simply switched off on big occasions.

For starters, they lost against PSG in the UEFA Champions League, then dropped all three points to Real Madrid, and most recently took a beating against Chelsea.

A big game win, needless to say, will go a long way in helping the dressing room believe in their abilities once more and that is precisely what they will look to achieve tomorrow night.

As they take on Atletico Madrid, the objective will not only be to secure the lead in La Liga but to get their first big-game win under their belt – something that can be transformative for their season in the bigger picture.

Recovering decisive starters

Pressed into an uncomfortable position, Hansi Flick started the double pivot of Marc Casado and Marc Bernal against Alaves. While the latter was understandably rusty, the former looked to be a shadow of his former self as well.

For the clash against Diego Simeone’s men, Flick will recover Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, both likely in a starting capacity, and words cannot put into perspective how important that is to the team.

In just a short cameo in the last game, Pedri showed his class and why he is on a completely different level in terms of controlling the game and tempo. De Jong, meanwhile, missed the game for family reasons and will be back tomorrow.

With the combination likely to start once more, Flick can remain assured that Barcelona will have control over the midfield – a department where they have constantly been outrun in big games.

All eyes, needless to say, will be on how the team operates with most starters back in action. 

After all, Raphinha, Pedri, De Jong, and Lamine Yamal all starting together this season is a combination the manager has not been able to count on many times this season.