Atletico Madrid Clash with Barcelona: Battle Preview, Bold Predictions and Starting XI Revealed
Barcelona journey to Spain's capital city to take on Atlético Madrid this Thursday in the opening leg of an enticing Copa del Rey semifinal matchup.
For the consecutive campaign, Barcelona must navigate past Diego Simeone's squad in their final obstacle before reaching the championship match. In an exciting encounter during the same period last year, Flick's team triumphed over Atléti with a 5–4 aggregate victory to reach the final and ultimately claim their 32nd Copa del Rey championship.
The Catalan club now enters the semifinal as Spain's most impressive team in current form. Flick's squad has suffered only one defeat in their previous 18 matches, overcame Real Madrid conquerors Albacete seven days ago to secure semifinal qualification and are fresh off a commanding 3–0 victory over Mallorca during the weekend.
In contrast, Atléti have shown inconsistency throughout the campaign and their recent week's outcomes demonstrate exactly that pattern. Simeone's team crushed Real Betis 5–0 to earn semifinal advancement before falling 1–0 to the identical opponent during weekend La Liga action.
Despite recent performance trends, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid have produced remarkable entertainment in their latest encounters, and Thursday's opening leg possesses the capability to match those elevated expectations.
Here is Sports Illustrated's comprehensive preview of the Copa del Rey semifinal encounter.
What Time Does Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona Kick Off?
What Time Does Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona Kick Off?
Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
Current Form (All Competitions)
Atlético Madrid (LWDLW) | Barcelona (WWWWW) |
|---|---|
Atlético Madrid 0–1 Real Betis | Barcelona 3–0 Mallorca |
Real Betis 0–5 Atlético Madrid | Albacete 1–2 Barcelona |
Levante 0–0 Atlético Madrid | Elche 1–3 Barcelona |
Atlético Madrid 1–2 Bodø/Glimt | Barcelona 4–1 Copenhagen |
Atlético Madrid 3–0 Mallorca | Barcelona 3–0 Real Oviedo |
How to Watch Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona on TV, Live Stream
How to Watch Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona on TV, Live Stream
Country | TV/Live Stream |
|---|---|
United States | ESPN Select, fuboTV, ESPN App |
United Kingdom | ITV4, ITVX |
Mexico | Sky Sports Mexico, Sky+ |
Atlético Madrid Team News
Atlético Madrid Team News
Simeone must navigate significant fitness concerns within his midfield ranks. Pablo Barrios will be absent from the encounter due to a muscle problem, while U.S. men's national team midfielder Johnny Cardoso remains highly questionable to be available for Barcelona's arrival.
Experienced captain Koke is anticipated to feature in the midfield, presumably paired with winter acquisition Rodrigo Mendoza, although fellow winter signing and Mexico national team prospect Obed Vargas might also receive consideration.
In other areas, Juan Musso has functioned as Atléti's Copa del Rey goalkeeper and is expected to retain his position ahead of Jan Oblak. The robust defensive pairing of Dávid Hancko and José María Giménez are set to anchor the home team's backline.
In attack, Julián Álvarez will be motivated to break a scoring dry spell that has recently surpassed the two-month threshold, and he may be accompanied by Atléti's fresh offensive addition Ademola Lookman.
Atlético Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona
Atlético Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona
Atlético Madrid predicted lineup vs. Barcelona (4-4-2): Musso; Llorente, Giménez, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Koke, Mendoza, Baena; Álvarez, Lookman.
Barcelona Team News
Barcelona Team News
Flick will probably deploy his strongest available squad, though Barcelona remain without two crucial players in Pedri and Raphinha, with the Brazilian's unavailability being potentially more impactful due to another injury concern.
Marcus Rashford sustained an injury during Barça's weekend triumph over Mallorca and will be sidelined for the Atléti fixture as a precautionary measure. Ferran Torres emerges as a probable option to feature on the left flank, a role he regularly occupied earlier in his career before Flick repositioned him as a central striker.
Frenkie de Jong was rested during Barça's win against Mallorca and will return to stabilize the midfield, alongside Dani Olmo and Fermín López. Nevertheless, López represents another player Flick might deploy wide on the left, and in such circumstances, Marc Bernal or Marc Casado could receive opportunities to fulfill a deeper midfield function.
Defensively, Flick seems to have established Pau Cubarsí and Eric García as his favored center-back combination, with the regular fullback pairing also anticipated to remain consistent.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Atlético Madrid
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Atlético Madrid
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Atlético Madrid (4-3-3): García; Koundé, Cubarsí, García, Balde; López, De Jong, Olmo; Yamal, Lewandowski, Torres.
Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona Score Prediction
Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona Score Prediction
Atlético's counter-attacking approach has troubled Flick's defensive line since last season, producing some captivating battles between these clubs. Playing on home soil, anticipate Atléti attempting to strike quickly through the pace of Álex Baena and Giuliano Simeone on the flanks.
However, Barcelona have also discovered numerous ways to exploit Atléti's defensive setup in recent encounters. Additionally, they arrive having netted 15 goals across their previous five fixtures.
Both sides will exchange blows in what promises to be a highly entertaining battle, but ultimately, honors will be even and the semifinal tie will be determined in the second leg at Camp Nou in March.
Prediction: Atlético Madrid 2–2 Barcelona