Atletico Madrid host Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Metropolitano Stadium on Tuesday.
Atletico won 2-0 in the first leg at Barcelona, putting them on course to qualify for the semi-final for the first time since the 2016/17 season.
Match preview
Atletico head into this clash refreshed, having rested several key players in their 2-1 defeat at Sevilla in La Liga on Saturday.
They defended in numbers for most of the first leg and are expected to do so here. Their two-goal advantage also gives them encouragement to do that.
Barcelona are expected to stick to their highly offensive approach, which could allow Atletico to exploit the spaces behind their defensive line.
However, the hosts have to defend better to limit Barcelona’s chances of staging a comeback. An early goal for the visitors could prove costly.
Barcelona claimed a morale-boosting 4-1 victory over local rivals Espanyol on Saturday to go nine points clear at the top of the La Liga table.
The Blaugrana will now aim to overcome Atletico to qualify for the Champions semi-final for the first time since the 2018/19 season.
Barcelona have won five of their last six visits to Atletico, including a 2-1 league victory on April 4, which could boost their morale ahead of Tuesday’s encounter.
The visitors need to be clinical and stay compact defensively to stand a chance of progressing.
Barcelona attack mainly from their right flank, making Lamine Yamal’s performance crucial.
Team news
Atletico have received a double injury boost with the return to training of goalkeeper Jan Oblak and defender Johnny Cardoso.
However, David Hancko, Jose Gimenez and Pablo Barrios are major doubts, while Marc Pubill is suspended.
Barcelona are without Raphinha and Andreas Christensen. Marc Bernal and Gerard Martin will be assessed before this game, while Pau Cubarsi is suspended after being sent off in the first leg.
Predicted line-ups
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Juan Musso, Nahuel Molina, David Hancko, Clement Lenglet, Mateo Ruggeri, Koke, Alex Baena, Giuliano Simeone, Ademola Lookman, Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez.
Barcelona (4-3-3): Joan Garcia, Joao Cancelo, Ronaldo Araujo, Eric Garcia, Gerard Martin, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Marcus Rashford, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski.
Prediction
We predict a 2-2 draw.
Stats from transfermarkt.com & sofascore.com.
