Gain. That is the only possible result for Barcelona this Sunday. The team led by Xavi Hernández faces Atlético de Madrid at the Lluis Companys Stadium in a match full of importance for the Blaugranas. A victory would be a coup in the middle of the identity crisis facing the culé team, while a defeat or even a draw could open a new schism and further distance from the top positions in the League. It is a six-point match between two direct rivals for the title, a match with capital letters in which only one can win.
«It is an important test, against a top team. They are three more points, but they are a direct rival and are in great form. Here you earn peace of mind vouchers every week,” said Xavi in the press conference prior to his team’s match against Atlético de Madrid. The Terrasa coach wanted to take the pressure off his team by ensuring that “there would still be time” in case of defeat and also took the opportunity to praise Cholo Simeone, with whom he had disagreements regarding style not too long ago. «Every day that passes I have more respect and admiration for him. He has a different style than ours, but it is commendable. “He has changed the history of the club and that has a lot of merit,” he said about one of the most anticipated confrontations of the match.
And beating Cholo and his Atlético could be another turning point in a week that started on the right foot for the culés after Tuesday’s victory against Porto in the Champions League. The victory against the Portuguese closed a wound that had been open for two years, allowed us to gain peace of mind for what lies ahead thanks to the ticket to the round of 16 and, above all, served to strengthen Xavi’s idea, touched after several games on the ledge against a priori inferior rivals such as Granada, Alavés or Rayo Vallecano.
That match, against the ‘Dragoes’, left several conclusions for Xavi that can also help him prepare for the duel against Atlético. The Egarense innovated with the position of Joao Cancelo in the left lane to be able to add one more player in the midfield in the offensive phase and that can be one of the weapons that he repeats against an opponent always well armed in the wide field. “They are alternatives in the eleven,” he said in this regard.
Cancelo’s role may be the highlight in a lineup in which Gavi and Ter Stegen will not be able to be in due to injury, the latter still suffering from back discomfort that has prevented him from training with the rest of his teammates. These two absences will determine an eleven in which Iñaki Peña will be in goal and in which all the focus will be on Joao Félix, who will be reunited with Simeone after his great performance in the Champions League. «Playing against your former team is a motivation. “I see him happy, content, involved and constant,” said Xavi to close the Portuguese’s controversy with Griezmann, who accused him of not being constant during his time as a red and white player.
The great opportunity for the red and whites
Opposite will be a rival who arrives at Lluis Companys with the capacity to deliver the big blow and turn the League upside down. Atlético is one of the most in-form teams in the competition, a transatlantic that, now, acts as such and that will seek to hit the table in the home of the champion. A victory would serve to get closer to the lead and to sink a direct rival who could leave three points in the table. «It is an important game for us. We will face a tough opponent, as always since we arrived at Atlético. We have never won there,” Cholo said about a match in which he will face Joao Félix, a footballer about whom he did not want to make any assessments. “I’m not talking about the kids who aren’t here,” he said.
To finally beat Barcelona at home, Simeone will have to overcome the long-term absences of Thomas Lemar and Pablo Barrios, who suffered a meniscus tear against Feyenoord that will keep him away from the playing fields for the rest of the season. remains of the year and the beginning of 2024. The absence of the youth squad will determine an eleven in which Lino or Riquelme will compete for the left wing, in which Koke, De Paul and Saúl will have the keys to the center of the field and in which Griezmann and Morata They will be the threat at the tip of the spear.
-Probable alignments:
Barcelona: Iñaki Peña, Koundé, Araujo, Iñigo Martínez, Cancelo, Gündogan, Pedri, De Jong, Joao Félix, Lewandowski and Raphinha.
Atlético de Madrid: Oblak, Molina, Giménez, Witsel, Hermoso, Lino, Koke, Saúl, De Paul, Griezmann and Morata.
Referee: Sánchez Martínez (Murciano Committee).
Time: 9:00 p.m.
Stadium: Lluis Companys.
TV: Movistar LaLiga.
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