Barcelona will have to defeat Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid in their backyard to make it to the Copa del Rey final.
Atletico Madrid will be eyeing a spot in the final when they host Barcelona in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final. The first leg saw a thrilling 4-4 draw last month, setting the stage for a high-stakes encounter that will determine who can advance to the final.
The home team now find themselves nine points behind league leaders Barcelona, and since they have already been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League, the Copa del Rey looks like their only opportunity to win a title this season. They will certainly go all out to get a positive result in this fixture.
The Colchoneros lost 4-2 to Barcelona in La Liga prior to the international break and recently played out a 1-1 draw against Espanyol, which are not really promising signs for Simeone’s team.
The visitors sit atop La Liga, and they have made it to the last eight of the UEFA Champions League as well. Now, they will be eyeing a spot in the Copa del Rey final. In a matter of a couple of days, they have secured a 3-0 win over Osasuna and a 4-1 win over Girona, which will certainly boost their confidence heading into this fixture.
Diego Simeone’s men took a 2-0 lead quite early in the first leg, but Barcelona turned things around and were 4-2 up heading into the final 15 minutes. But Los Rojiblancos bagged two late goals to ensure it was all square heading into the second leg. Atletico Madrid might not be the favourites, but they certainly have a chance. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Atletico Madrid
The home team remain without the services of Angel Correa, who is serving a five-match suspension. Meanwhile, Koke, who has missed their last eight outings because of a muscle injury, has a race against time to be fit for this fixture. Robin Le Normand, who was taken off in their last outing, should be back fit for this one.
Atletico Madrid will stick to the 4-4-2 formation against Barcelona, with Juan Musso in goal. Marcos Llorente and Reinildo Mandava should be the full-backs, while Jose Gimenez should pair up with Barcelona loanee Clément Lenglet at the heart of the defence.
Giuliano Simeone and Samuel Lino could feature on the flanks in midfield. Meanwhile, Pablo Barrios should partner with Rodrigo De Paul. The duo will look to ensure the Barcelona midfielders do not dominate the ball too deep in their half. Finaly, the 2024 summer signing Julian Alvarez should continue to pair up with Antoine Griezmann in the final third.
Probable Line up (4-4-2): Musso; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Reinildo; Simeone, Barrios, De Paul, Lino; Alvarez, Griezmann
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Predicted XI
Barcelona
The visitors remain without the services of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal, Marc Casado, and Dani Olmo. Meanwhile, Andreas Christensen will have a late fitness test to determine his availability.
Pau Cubarsi, who has missed their last two outings, could return to the Barcelona starting eleven in this fixture against Atletico Madrid. Raphinha, who was not risked last time out as well, is almost a certainty to start against Atletico.
Hansi Flick will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Wojciech Szczesny will be in goal. Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde should feature as the full-backs, while Pau Cubarsi should pair up with Inigo Martinez at the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri will look to control the tempo. They will shield the backline and provide a stable base for the forwards. Gavi will feature in the no. 10 role, while Lamine Yamal and Raphinha will feature on the flanks. Robert Lewandowski lead the line for Barcelona against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Predicted XI
Key Stats
Atletico Madrid have not gotten the better of the Catalan giants in the Copa del Rey since 2000.
Barcelona have won the Copa del Rey a record 31 times.
Atletico Madrid have not won any of their last seven matches against Barcelona. They have lost both their league games this season and played out a 4-4 draw in the first leg.
Diego Simeone’s team have lifted the cup on 10 occasions.
The last time the two teams met in the Copa del Rey was back in 2016/17 when Barcelona came out on top.
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Antoine Griezmann
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No doubt, Barcelona have the upper hand heading into this fixture, but Atletico Madrid do have enough quality in their squad to challenge the Blaugrana. If the Madrid-based outfit are to get the better of Flick’s team, their best player has to step up. Griezmann is in fine form with 23 goal contributions this season, and he can certainly end up being the difference between the two teams.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 2-1 Barcelona
While Atletico Madrid have similar firepower to that of Barcelona, the visitors have been in much better form this season. Hansi Flick’s team have a better head-to-head record in the recent past, making them favourites for this fixture.
However, Diego Simeone’s team have it in them to suffer and get the desired result. Although they will have plenty of defending to do, it will not be a surprise if they capitalise on their limited chances and stun Barcelona in the second leg. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the home team, a 6-5 victory on aggregate.