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Barcelona head to the Spanish capital on Sunday aiming to avoid surrendering top spot in La Liga and instead extend their lead over rivals Atlético Madrid to five points.
Barcelona bounced back in La Liga last weekend with a commanding 6–1 win over Alavés, recovering from the painful home Clásico defeat that had ended their flawless start to the league campaign.
You'd expect that 10 victories from 11 matches would have been enough for Barcelona to build a comfortable cushion at the top, but Atlético Madrid have strung together seven consecutive wins, and an early-season draw is the sole reason Barça enter the weekend just two points ahead in first place.
These two sides have produced spectacular encounters in recent meetings, and it will require an enormous effort from Hansi Flick's injury-hit squad to leave the Metropolitano with all three points. The standout fixture of the La Liga weekend looks set to be a captivating contest.
Here's how Barcelona could line up against Atlético Madrid on Sunday.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Atlético Madrid (4-2-3-1)
GK: Joan García—García will head into Sunday's clash with confidence after recording the first Champions League clean sheet of his career.
RB: Brian Fariñas—With Jules Koundé and Xavi Espart sidelined, and Eric García only returning to training late in the week, Fariñas will make his third consecutive start out of position at right back in what will comfortably be the most demanding test of his fledgling career.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—The memory of his costly red card against Atléti in last season's Champions League quarterfinals still lingers. Cubarsí will step onto the pitch on Sunday with redemption on his mind.
CB: Gerard Martín—Martín has found life difficult against top-level opposition recently, and he faces another stern examination with Julián Alvarez to contend with on Sunday.
LB: João Cancelo—Cancelo set up Barcelona's winner against Atléti the last time the sides met in La Liga—even if it was Robert Lewandowski who converted it—but it is his questionable defensive record that the hosts will look to target.
CM: Frenkie de Jong—With Rodri sidelined through injury, Frenkie de Jong will make his first league start of the season and will partner Pedri in midfield. The pair has been the most frequently used combination of the Flick era but haven't featured together from the start since mid-January.
Pick Your Barcelona XI!
CM: Pedri—After a bright start to the campaign, Pedri has faded in recent matches. Barcelona's creative hub must perform at his peak, as his passing precision could be the key to unlocking Atléti's backline—as it has proven to be in the past.
RW: Lamine Yamal—Yamal has racked up 29 goal contributions for club and country since the season began—more than any other player in Europe. Yet his displays against Real Madrid and PSG left much to be desired, and another subdued performance against Atléti would seriously undermine Barcelona's prospects.
AM: Fermín López—Only Bruno Fernandes has more goal contributions among attacking midfielders worldwide than Fermín since the start of last season. He can drift in and out of matches, but the dynamic midfielder is capable of making an impact at any given moment.
LW: Anthony Gordon—Gordon has embraced his role as Barcelona's weak-side attacker and has fulfilled everything Flick has demanded of him tactically. Nevertheless, the England international is still waiting for a defining moment in a Barça shirt, and Sunday presents the ideal opportunity to deliver one.
ST: Raphinha—Only Cristiano Ronaldo's 18 goals in 11 games at the start of the 2014–15 La Liga season surpasses Raphinha's tally of 15 this term in the history of the competition. Having signed a two-year contract extension, Barça's skipper has something to prove against Atléti after missing the Champions League tie against them last season due to injury.