Champions League Preview: Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid

The stage is set for a rip-roaring game of football as the Spanish giants (yes, Atletico have become the third giant in Spain) square off in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. Both sides are coming into the first leg with a hard-fought victory over the weekend – the Catalans edged out Espanyol 1-0 in what was an intense derby while Simeone’s men emerged successful in San Mames, Bilbao at the arena which denied both Barcelona and Real Madrid from grabbing all 3 points this season.

“Sky-high” is the term to describe the morale of these two as both have hit a purple patch at the right time of the season. Winning this battle would yield much more than a semi-final berth as the outcome will have a huge impact on the final match day of La Liga, when the two powerhouses square off again in a potential “winner take all” match-up.

Team News

Barcelona

We have witnessed two versions of Barca this season, one in the Liga and another in the Champions League. The latter version seems to have a fire in the belly and Tata Martino’s team selection for the bigger stages has been a definite influence.

There wouldn’t be any surprises regarding the back-four with fullbacks Alves and Alba in the pink of health while Pique and Mascherano constituting the heart of the defense. The Argentine will be looking to stick to his winning mantra by playing Xavi, Fabregas and Busquets in the centre of the park with Iniesta as a false winger in the 4-3-3.

With Lionel Messi leading the attack, there is one position up for grabs for Pedro, Alexis and Neymar, who are all worthy of a spot. This has been a pleasing headache for Tata as all three have shown their grit but ever since his return, the Brazilian has looked off-colour in terms of finishing and in all fairness Pedro/Alexis deserve more. However, Tata might still bank on the Brazilian given his big-match reputation and will hope the Samba boys’ connection works out for him.

Atletico Madrid

Simeone’s men come into the quarter-finals high on confidence following a 2-1 win against Athletic Bilbao which helped them maintain their top spot in the La Liga.

Atletico currently boast the best defensive record in La Liga and much of the credit must go to a well-organized defence in the form of Juanfran on the right, Miranda & Godin at the heart of the defense and Filipe Luis on the left. Behind the back-four is the reliable Thibaut Courtois, who is having an excellent season to say the least.

With Captain Gabi Fernandez and Mario Suarez at the centre of the park, the Rojiblancos will be looking to deny Barca’s world class midfield any space in the final third. They succeeded in doing so earlier in the league game against the Catalans which resulted in Barca having merely 2 attempts on goal. However, much of the attacking prowess would depend on Koke, Turan and their top scorer Diego Costa as the 3 will be pivotal on the counter. Former Barca star, David Villa is likely to return to the Camp Nou, in place of the suspended Raul Garcia and will be looking to repeat his first leg performance of the SuperCopa.

The Spanish giants have failed to produce a result over 270 minutes of football with just 2 goals in the 3 games thus far. Hence, we might not have a 7-goal thriller akin to the El Clasico, but expect a nerve-racking contest between intensity and skill.

Current Form

Barcelona: W-W-W-W-W

Atletico Madrid: W-W-W-W-W

Key Stats

• Barcelona are unbeaten in their last nine matches against Atletico Madrid in all competitions, winning six and drawing three.
• Atletico have not lost in the Champions League this season (W7, D1).
• Barcelona are yet to lose a game when Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas started together this season. (P5, W4, D1, L0)
• Barcelona have scored 17 times in their last 5 games, while Atletico have kept 4 clean sheets out of the last 6 games, conceding a goal each in the other 2 games.
• Atletico have conceded just 4 goals in the Champions League this season, the fewest in the competition.
• This is the first meeting between the Spanish giants in the Champions League.

Key Battles

Koke vs Alves: The Spaniard has been pivotal for Simeone’s men on the counter and will be looking to take full advantage of the space left behind by the Brazilian right-back. However, in the bigger stages Alves has surprisingly thought twice before making the forward runs and with a player of Koke’s stature to be taken care of, he would ensure he has his feet on the ground

Messi vs Miranda/Godin: Despite having faced each other thrice this season, the Rojiblancos are facing an in-form Leo Messi for the first time. Godin and Miranda did superbly well to deny any space for the Argentine in the final third and kept him at bay. On the other hand, Messi has scored in each of the last 5 games for Barcelona (9 goals) and will be keen on extending the run to make it 6.

Prediction

Atletico Madrid are intense and determined to make a statement this season and they do have an edge over the Catalans owing to their physical gameplay, deadly counter-attacks and set-pieces. The Rojiblancos can give Barca a run for their money but the Blaugranas are miles ahead in terms of experience with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi. With the quantum of skill and experience in their side, the Catalans will edge Atletico out of this one in a hard-fought victory

Barcelona 1-0 Atletico Madrid