Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid | UEFA Champions League | OneFootball

Days after their 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid, Barcelona take to the field against the same opposition once more, albeit with even higher stakes.

This time around, they lock horns in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, and the winner after two legs will be just three games away from the elusive European title.

Diego Simeone and Co. approach the competition as one of their only chances to win silverware this season, beyond the Copa del Rey, especially given the gap Barcelona have built at the top of La Liga.

For the Catalans, however, the UEFA Champions League is a perennial goal given their recent heartbreaks, and it is clear that the players will do anything to get their hands on that trophy at this point.

The first leg between the two Spanish giants will be played tomorrow night at the Spotify Camp Nou, with the reverse fixture scheduled at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano a week later.

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

The advantage that went wrong

Barcelona finished the league stage of the UEFA Champions League in fifth place after a dramatic final matchday, and, as a result, secured direct qualification to the playoffs.

As a reward for their higher-placed finish, they had the second leg of the game against Newcastle United at home in the Round of 16, and capitalised on it to make it to the final four.

Atletico Madrid, who they face in the quarter-finals, finished 14th on the standings and beat Tottenham Hotspur to get to the final-four. 

Despite Barcelona finishing ahead on the leaderboard, Atleti now enjoy the privilege of having the second leg at home because they ‘stole’ the advantage from fourth-placed Spurs.

The new system adopted this season, with ‘stealing’ privileges, has its advantages, but it also seriously negates the comfort a higher-placed finish after eight games should give a team.

Now forced to play the second leg away from home, Barcelona have no option but to go out all guns blazing tomorrow and secure a decisive lead, while the opponents can just focus on a conservative result to capitalise on a week later.

A difficult midfield situation

No Bernal against Atletico Madrid. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Hansi Flick deployed a starting lineup featuring Eric Garcia and Pedri in midfield against Atletico Madrid at the weekend, and it did not take long for the fallacies of that dynamic to come to the fore.

While Barcelona started strong, Atletico Madrid soon began to enjoy dominance in the middle of the park as Garcia sat deeper to neutralise Atletico’s attacking moves. As a result, Pedri was left alone to control the midfield and was soon overwhelmed.

Following Ronald Araujo’s injury scare, Flick brought on Marc Bernal to restore balance and dominance in midfield, moving Garcia to right-back. The change brought stability to the Catalans’ buildup, and they were later helped by a numerical advantage.

For tomorrow’s game, however, Bernal is injured and unavailable, as is Frenkie de Jong, leaving Flick with Pedri and Eric Garcia as his only two remaining pivot options.

Needless to say, going back to the same combination that did not work just days ago is a challenge that Flick must address. After all, he does not have too many options.

A well-rested opposition

It has just been three days since Barcelona and Atletico Madrid faced off in La Liga, and the Catalans have the edge with the momentum on their side. However, what Los Rojiblancos have may be worth far more.

Despite losing to Flick’s side on the night, Diego Simeone managed to hand almost his entire starting XI a rest at the weekend with big rotations from the off and heavy substitutions in the second half.

The likes of Julian Alvarez and Ademola Lookman did not even appear off the bench on the night, and it is clear that Atletico Madrid are extremely well rested for tomorrow’s game. Barcelona, meanwhile, toiled to no end in the same game.

How the Blaugrana can keep up with the visitors’ energy, tempo, and attacking speed, needless to say, will count for much of the result tomorrow, and Flick will be aware of the physical advantage that Atletico Madrid possesses.

As a team who press high and work hard off the ball, moreover, Los Rojiblancos’ advantage is more dominant, especially given how they have been able to trouble Barcelona’s ball-retention in recent meetings.