It’s matchday 08 in Spain’s first division football league- La Liga Santander as Atletico Madrid host F.C. Barcelona in what promises to be a cracking game for both sides. Atletico goes into the game having made a sensational comeback vs A.C. Milan at the San Siro whereas F.C. Barcelona would want to forget their shocking and embarrassing defeat at the hands of Benefica and would like to gain some good points going into this game.
Atletico Madrid has begun the season on a good note, showing their mettle in both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. F.C. Barcelona, on the other hand, has so far had a very forgetful campaign in the UEFA Champions League. Furthermore, they don’t seem to have stepped on the gas just as yet in La Liga as well.
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As far as their previous La Liga matches are concerned, Atletico Madrid endured a shock defeat in La Liga to Alaves in the previous match. F.C. Barcelona meanwhile, thrashed Levante, a game in which F.C. Barcelona fans were treated to the return of Ansu Fati.
ATLETICO MADRID vs F.C. BARCELONA – STATS
Any top clash is incomplete without a few interesting statistics that complete a battle, especially one that involves history.
- Atletico are unbeaten in their last three games vs F.C. Barcelona in La Liga (W1, D2). This is their best unbeaten run against the Catalans since the one dating back to September 2004 and December 2006. (W3 D2)
- Atletico have won only one of their last 11 matches against Barcelona at home in La Liga (D3, L7), which came in last November. They have failed to win in back to back home games against the Catalans since their run between March 2008 and February 2010.
- If they lose against Barcelona, Atleti stand to lose two consecutive La Liga games for the first time since February 2019, when they lost to Real Betis and Real Madrid.
- Barcelona are unbeaten in their six matches played in La Liga this season. (W3, D3). The last time they did this was in 2017 – 18 season.
- Atletico are one of two teams to have picked most points from losing positions in La Liga this season, alongside Real Madrid.
FORM
Atletico Madrid (All Competitions) – W W D W D D W L W
F.C. Barcelona (All Competitions) – W D W L D D W L
TEAM NEWS
Atletico Madrid
- Kieran Trippier was subbed off in the first half against Milan and is doubtful for the game.
- Stefan Savic, who was suspended vs Milan should be back in contention for this game.
- Joao Felix, Rodrigo De Paul and Renan Lodi are also probable to return to the starting XI.
- Griezmann, who equalized against Milan is expected to be on bench for this game.
PREDICTED LINEUPS
Formation 3 – 5 – 2
Jan Oblak
Diego Llorente Stefan Savic Felipe
Renan Lodi Geoffrey Kondogbia Rodrigo De Paul Yannick Carrasco
Luis Suarez Joao Felix/ Greizmann
F.C. Barcelona
- Ousmane Dembele, Sergio Ageuro, Martin Brathwaite and Alejandro Balde are out for the Blaugranas.
- Meanwhile Pedri has been left out of the squad due to a thigh issue.
- Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho are in the squad and the latter is expected to get the start while the former will get some
- minutes from the bench.
Predicted Lineup
Formation : 4 – 3 – 3
Marc Andre Ter Stegen
Sergino Dest Gerard Pique Ronald Araujo Jordi Alba
Gavi / Roberto Sergio Busquets Frenkie De Jong Coutinho / Fati Luk De Jong Memphis Depay
PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR
ATHLETICO DE MADRID
LUIS SUAREZ
The player to watch out will be none other than the Former Barca striker and Uruguayan Maestro Luis Suarez who will look to score against his former club tonight and prove Ronald Koeman and the board who didn’t count on him last season and eventually forced him out of the club. Since then he has been hungry to score goals and ended up last season scoring 21 goals for ATM which led to their La Liga title. His goal-scoring abilities as well as making runs behind the defense makes him a dangerous player and will definitely be a headache for the Barca defense.
ANTOINE GRIEZMANN
Another player to watch out for will be former Barca player Griezmann who will look forward to scoring goals as he hasn’t been in form so far this season and is yet to score in the La Liga. And his first goal after his return to his former club ATM and that too against Barca will be quite an event to watch. Griezmann last season ended up being the 2nd top scorer for Barca after Messi. His excellent performance in the Copa del Rey leads Barca to their CDR trophy. And a coach like Diego Simeone exactly knows how to use a player like him. And if he gets back to his old form at ATM then he will be unstoppable and a loss for Barca too.
FC BARCELONA
RONALD ARAUJO
The player to watch out for Barca will be one of their best defenders so far that is Ronald Araujo. Ronald Araujo has been decent so far this season and his defensive abilities and physicality make him an important player for this fixture. Apart from defending his goal-scoring abilities from set-pieces and corners also makes him a dangerous player. Araujo’s last-minute header against Granada at camp Nou saved Barca from the hands of defeat and gave them 1 point. Araujo will have a very important job to keep Suarez and Griezmann silent and stop them from scoring goals.
MEMPHIS DEPAY
Memphis Depay will also be a player to watch out for as he has been good but not up to the level so far. He has scored 3 goals so far this season but is yet to score a goal for Barca in the UCL. Moreover, his ability to take freekicks, corners, and penalty kicks also make him an important player in the squad. His dribbling and shooting abilities will also test the ATM’S
CONCLUSION
A Barça win against Diego Simeone’s Colchoneros would absolutely be an unexpected win and also a historic one during these days of struggle. Despite Athletico Madrid’s strange start to the season with plenty of victories but some really mediocre football most of the time, Atlético has the better squad and the better coach, and Atletico will definitely be a more dangerous threat to Barca, and also try to defend their La Liga title.
Will Barca take all 3 points from Wanda Metropolitano or will Simeone’s side give the Blaugrana another shocking defeat and take a step forward in defending their title. Let us know too.
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