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Barcelona host Atletico Madrid in what is undoubtedly the marquee fixture of this weekend in La Liga and one of the biggest in all of Europe.
It is a clash between first and second, with bragging rights as well as the potential to be crowned league champions on the line.
The Blaugrana hold an eight-point lead atop the league standings, but the Colchoneros would be desperate to reduce that deficit to five by posting a rare victory at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona enter the fixture as very much the form team of the two and this coupled with the caliber of players on display within the Barca ranks means the defending La Liga champions are the favorites in the tie.
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However, it is pertinent to note that Atletico Madrid are no pushovers themselves and are more than capable of upsetting Barcelona on their home ground and as such, the Catalans would do well to keep their visitors at bay. In this piece, we shall be taking a look at four reasons why Barcelona should be wary of Atletico Madrid.
#4 Atletico Madrid have nothing else to play for
Atletico have been one of the most consistent clubs in Europe over the last few years, regularly making it to the latter stages of the Champions League and pushing the big two in La Liga all the way for the title. For this, Diego Simeone deserves immense praise for his transformation of the club from a mid-table side into one of Europe's genuine heavyweights.
Their newfound status as one of the continent's bigger sides means they genuinely expect to win some trophies each season, but this term has proved to be far from ideal.
Simeone's men got knocked out surprisingly early from the Copa del Rey by Girona, while they also threw away a two-goal advantage in the Champions League to be eliminated by a Ronaldo-inspired Juventus to ensure there would be no dream UCL final on their home stadium.
In essence, their only hope of a trophy this season lies in La Liga and as such, they would be fighting tooth and nail for as long as they still have a chance of lifting the title. Hence, Barcelona would do well to keep them at bay.
#3 Barcelona have the Champions League to worry about
Barcelona's splendid season till this point puts them in a small group of clubs who are still in the running to win a treble this season. If achieved, this would give the club the unique distinction of having performed this feat on three occasions.
In the Champions League quarterfinal, the five-time champions have been paired with Manchester United and that is sure to take a higher priority on the club's scale of preference than the clash with Atletico Madrid.
It is no hidden secret that Barcelona have struggled in the continental competition in recent years, failing to make it past the last eight in four of the last five tournaments. This shortcoming is one which the Catalans would be keen to address, especially given as each of those tournaments were won by arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Barcelona would enter the clash against Atletico Madrid with one eye on their mid-week fixture with Manchester United and given this level of distraction, Atletico Madrid could capitalize on this to post a victory.
#2 Atletico Madrid's incredible defense
Most of Atletico's successes over the last few years has been founded on the strength of an extremely resilient defense which gives little away and prioritizes maintaining a tight shape.
Under Simeone, the Rojiblancos have been forged into the most compact team in Europe and it is no surprise that they regularly find themselves topping lists of the tightest defenses on the continent.
The 2014 La Liga champions possess defenders of the highest level like Diego Godin, Stefan Savic, Jose Jimenez among others, and with them, Atletico have more than enough in the tank to cage the Barcelona attackers and would fancy their chances against their more attack-minded hosts.
With just 19 goals conceded from 30 matches, the Madrid side have the meanest defense in the league and despite having scored a league high 79 goals, Barcelona would still find it extremely difficult to break an ever-resilient Atletico backline.
#1 Atletico Madrid would be desperate to end their recent poor record against Barcelona
Atletico Madrid are without a league victory over Barcelona since 2011 and for a side with such caliber, this is simply not good enough.
The club has finished in the top three of La Liga in each of the last six seasons, in addition to making it to two Champions League finals and winning a number of trophies, so this record is one they would be desperate to amend.
They have however fared much better against Valverde's men on the continent, having eliminated Barcelona on two occasions in 2014 and 2016 en route their run to the final which shows that they have what it takes to get the better of the Catalans.
With the added incentive of opening up the La Liga title race, you can be sure that Atletico Madrid would go all out to get their first victory over Barcelona in eight years and this makes them an even tougher proposition for the league leaders.
