Who: Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid
What: Spanish LaLiga
Where: Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain
When: Sunday at 9pm (20:00 GMT)
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After suffering a painful Champions League defeat against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid has little time to reflect on.
On Sunday, in a tight fight for the Spanish league title, Barcelona will have a crucial game to play.
One of the biggest matches on the Spanish football calendar is up for grabs for Al Jazeera:
How do Barcelona and Atletico Madrid fare in LaLiga?
In the three-way trophy battle, Atletico are one point ahead of Barcelona in second and four points ahead of leaders Madrid.
Real has won one more games than Barca and one more than Atletico.
So Diego Simeone’s team can’t afford to lose on Sunday, but they must overcome Wednesday’s agonizing defeat to their fierce crosstown rival on Wednesday.
What transpired in the Champions League match between Atletico and Real Madrid?
After Julian Alvarez’s spot kick was denied for a double touch, Atletico lost in a penalty shootout against Real. Alvarez’s support foot slid and gently nudged the ball before hitting it with his other foot and sending it into the net, which was the only video review to notice.
“Honestly, it’s difficult to move past the tie’s loss. After the game, Simeone said, “We can’t lie to ourselves.”
Where might Sunday’s game be won?
After winning against Benfica on Tuesday, Simeone acknowledged that Barcelona could benefit both physically and emotionally as a result of Hansi Flick’s side receiving an extra day of rest.
On Sunday, we face a formidable adversary. I believe the Barcelona players were hoping that we could play until penalties were reached, Simeone said. We will arrive at Barcelona “we will come tired and beat up after having fought hard in a tie that demanded we give it our all,” according to the statement.
Amazing images of our most recent LaLiga vs. FC Barcelona photo. twitter.com/ztLACCN3bL
How has recently the rivalry developed?
This year, Atletico have confounded Barcelona twice. In the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal, Alexander Sorloth scored a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the league and a 4-4 draw.
Barcelona haven’t lost a single game against Atletico since late December, going 17 straight against them in all competitions.
Next month, Atletico will host Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinal.
What does Barcelona think of the game?
Flick cautioned his Barcelona teammates to concentrate on staying focused so they don’t fall apart as they have in their previous two matches this year.
We’ve had really two fantastic matches, and we must remain focused until the very end, Flick said to reporters on Saturday.
We had the same focus in the first match and the end of the match, and we had to be careful about that because the second match was [the same] at the beginning and end.
“We have to defend ourselves from Atletico’s potential harm when you make mistakes,” he said.
No vacation days, #AtletiBarça. twitter.com/iuQRV2QRWk
How is the Olmo-Gavi headache resolved by Flick?
Dani Olmo appears to be in the ascendancy of Gavi in Barca’s attacking midfield position.
The Spain squad for the Nations League quarterfinals against the Netherlands next week did not include Gavi and Barca defender Alejandro Balde, but the coach of Barca thanked both players.
“Gavi] is 20 years old, and he’s, I think, not the first choice]… a more difficult situation, but he’s doing great,” said Flick.
Our midfield is currently doing very well. He will play many, many years for this amazing club and be one of the stars, and I’m happy he’s here.
He has great potential. He’ll follow this instruction. His attitude is unfathomably positive. He is extremely focused and content that he is here.
He will be there and play, 100%, I believe, for the World Cup in 2026.
Happy Gavi . ???? pic. twitter.com/Eh0tos7Uhi
Flick praised veteran centre back Inigo Martinez, who was given the call-up for Spain by national team coach Luis de la Fuente, and called Balde “one of the best” left backs in the world.
He is “unbelievably good for every team” with his attitude and mentality, according to Flick.
Formular for Atletico Madrid:
W. D. W. L. L.
Barcelona form guide
W. D. W. W.
news from the Atletico Madrid team
Angel Correa received a red card for the game last weekend that caused him to lose 2-1 to Getafe.
Rodrigo De Paul is expected to miss out while Koke is still in doubt due to a knock.
news from the Barcelona team
Andreas Christensen is back in training with the squad despite Marc Bernal and Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s ongoing knee injuries that have caused them to miss out for a long time.
What is the likely starting lineup for Atletico Madrid?
Jose Maria Gimenez, Clement Lenglet, Reinildo, Giuliano Simeone, Rodrigo De Paul, Pablo Barrios, Conor Gallagher, Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez, Jan Oblak, Nahuel Molina, Jose Maria Gimenez, Clement Lenglet, Reinildo, Giuliano Simeone, Pablo Barrios, Conor Gallagher, Antoine Griezmann, and Julian Alvarez
