Official: Barcelona starting XI against Atletico Madrid | La Liga | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to take on Atletico Madrid at the Montjuic Stadium very soon. The Catalan giants are currently leading the La Liga table, but both Diego Simeone’s team and Real Madrid are almost neck and neck with them. For that reason, Barcelona desperately need a good result from this game.

With three crucial points at stake, it was to be expected that Hansi Flick would rely on a strong line-up for this game. However, with the likes of Lamine Yamal suffering from an ankle injury and Hector Fort having to deal with a hamstring injury, it was a mystery as to how the German coach would end up approaching this particular La Liga clash.

Now, with the official line-up released, that mystery has been solved.

In goal, Inaki Pena remains the starter for Hansi Flick’s Barcelona. He has been solid individually this season so far, despite the fact that his team has let him down on some instances. However, the head coach of the team seems to maintain his faith in his abilities.

Ahead of him, Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez form their regular pairing. Both Spaniards will be hoping to limit Atletico Madrid while also looking to break through their structure with their ball-playing abilities.

On their flanks, Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde retain their place as the two starting fullbacks. They will be tasked with limiting Atletico Madrid’s advances from the flanks while also looking to pitch in offensively whenever they can.

Right in front of the defensive line, Marc Casado and Pedri start as the two defensive midfielders for the team. The Spaniards have formed a formidable partnership this season and it looks like Flick will continue to rely on it for stability, control, and progression of the ball.

Up top, the Barcelona forwards for this game will be Raphinha and Fermin Lopez out wide, and Gavi starting in the central attacking midfield position right behind the centre-forward. They will be expected to wreck havoc around the Atletico Madrid goal and feed passes to one another.

Lastly, Robert Lewandowski starts as the team’s centre-forward and focal point up top. The Polish ace is currently leading the goalscoring charts in La Liga, but he has struggled in recent games. However, the Barcelona striker will be looking to turn his fortunes around in this game.