Atleticovs.Barcelona

The tie is finely poised following a thrilling 4-4 draw in last month's first leg, with both teams hoping they can set up a final clash against Real Madrid or Real Sociedad.

Match preview

Atletico's season is on the brink of falling apart after seeing their Champions League dreams crushed and their La Liga title hopes dented in the last month.

Diego Simeone's side began a difficult spell of form with 2-1 away defeats to Real Madrid and Getafe in the Champions League and La Liga respectively.

They may have recorded a 1-0 victory in the second leg of their European quarter-final clash against Los Blancos, but their Champions League journey ultimately ended with a penalty shootout defeat.

They then gave up a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 in their home league clash against leaders Barcelona, before they returned from the international break with a 1-1 draw against Espanyol in Saturday's away fixture.

Cesar Azpilicueta's stunning first La Liga goal proved to be in vain, as Javi Puado equalised from the penalty spot to extend Atleti's winless league run to three matches, leaving them nine points adrift of the summit with nine matches left to play.

As a result, the Copa del Rey represents Atletico's best chance of lifting a trophy this season, with Los Colchoneros looking to win the competition for the first time since 2012-13.

The tie with Barcelona is finely poised after Atletico scored two late goals to salvage a 4-4 draw in last month's away leg, although Atleti's final hopes will not be helped by the fact they have failed to progress from their last three Copa del Rey semi-final ties.

In contrast to their hosts, Barcelona are still in the hunt to add three more trophies to the Spanish Super Cup they lifted in January.

The Blaugrana have put together a 20-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W17, D3) since losing 2-1 in December's home league game against Atletico Madrid.

They are currently sitting top of La Liga, featuring in the Champions League quarter-finals and just one game away from reaching their first Copa del Rey final since winning the competition in 2020-21.

Hansi Flick's side have already picked up a couple of home victories following the international break, winning by a 3-0 scoreline in their rearranged meeting with Osasuna, before cruising to a 4-1 win in Sunday's game against Catalan rivals Girona thanks to a Robert Lewandowski brace, a Ferran Torres strike and a Ladislav Krejci own goal.

As a result of Sunday's efforts, Barcelona became the first La Liga team to reach 139 goals in 45 competitive games in a single season, giving them confidence ahead of their second trip to the Metropolitano in just over two weeks.

The Catalan giants have won each of their previous three away matches against Atletico since losing 2-0 in a La Liga meeting in October 2021.

They will also take confidence from the fact they have progressed from eight of their previous nine Copa del Rey semi-final ties, although their only failure in that period took place in their most recent last-four appearance in 2022-23 when they lost 5-1 on aggregate to Real Madrid.

Atletico Madrid Copa del Rey form:

W

W

W

W

W

D

Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

W

L

L

L

L

D

Barcelona Copa del Rey form:

W

W

W

D

Barcelona form (all competitions):

W

W

W

W

W

W

Team News

Atletico captain Koke is in a race against time to prove his fitness after missing the last eight games with a muscle problem.

Defender Robin Le Normand is expected to be fit despite being forced off in the first half against Espanyol with a head injury, although he may have to settle for a place on the bench.

Attacker Angel Correa with serve the third game of a five-match ban he received for using foul language towards the referee in Atletico's 2-1 defeat to Getafe.

Jose Maria Gimenez, Rodrigo De Paul and Julian Alvarez are all set to start after only being used as substitutes on Saturday, following their long journeys back from international duty in South America.

Simeone may also be tempted to start Reinildo Mandava on the left side of defence in a bid to combat Lamine Yamal's threat.

As for the visitors, they will be without Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal and Marc Casado, while Andreas Christensen will have to be assessed ahead of the second leg.

Attacker Dani Olmo is also on Barcelona's absentee list after he was ruled out for up to three weeks with an adductor injury he sustained in Thursday's win over Osasuna.

Pau Cubarsi has not been deemed fit enough to start the last two games after he picked up an injury while on international duty, but there is a possibility he could replace Ronald Araujo in the backline for Wednesday's fixture.

Frenkie de Jong could return to the midfield after being used off the bench for Sunday's dominant win over Girona.

Raphinha was not risked at the weekend as he watched the 4-1 win from the bench, which should ensure he is fresh to start at the Metropolitano.

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Reinildo; Simeone, Barrios, De Paul, Lino; Alvarez, Griezmann

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Lewandowski

We say: Atletico Madrid 1-3 Barcelona

Written by

Ben Sully

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