Atletico Madrid will welcome Barcelona on Wednesday in what should be a competitive conclusion to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, in particular after a first dramatic stage in February which ended with a 4-4 Draw.
The two teams will target a place in the final later this month, where they will face Real Madrid. The competition presents Atletico with perhaps their only realistic chance of winning a title this season, despite the impression at different periods of the campaign. They were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid in the knockout stages of 16 years And seem to be out of the race to win the Liga, currently seated nine points behind first place Barcelona.
As for visitors, Wednesday’s match marks the last stop for a frantic period. Barcelona is two games in a 29 -day section in which they will play nine games in total, which went well so far with two victories. They faced adversaries who would have trouble posing a real challenge, which is not a problem that Atletico will necessarily have. This game – and all this race, which includes the quarter -finals of the UEFA Champions League against Borussia Dortmund – will offer a major test of the winning courage in Barcelona, especially during a season when they have undoubtedly been in the cruise control.
Here’s what you need to know before connecting.
How to look at Atletico against Barcelona, dimensions
- Date: Wednesday April 2 | Time: 3.30 p.m.
- Location: Metropolitano Stadium – Madrid, Spain
- Stream live: ESPN +
- Odds: Atletico Madrid +188; Draw +275; Barcelona +135
Last meeting
These two actually faced the championship last month when Barcelona came from behind to win 4-2 at Atletico Madrid. The team of Diego Simeone had an advance from 2-0 to the 70th minute thanks to the goals of Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorho, but the late Barcelona canceled the damage to hear a crucial victory in the reigning race of the Liga. Robert Lewandowski climbed one back just two minutes after Sorloth scored, while Ferran Torres did 2-2 in the 78th minute. A Lamine Yamal stopping objective led to the agreement, while Torres added another to make a good measure.
What Atletico Madrid say
The feeling that it is a moment to do or rupture for Atletico has settled, especially after the defeat of the Champions League and their inability to keep the pace in the race for the title of the Liga. Manager Diego Simeone, however, is categorical that this season is not a failure, regardless of what is happening on Wednesday.
“Failure is not trying. If you do not try, you fail,” Simeone said in his pre-match remarks on Tuesday. “For me, the season was very good. We did very well in the Champions League, we participated in the League, in the semi-final of the Cup.… The fate of each match will determine whether it is a very good season, an extraordinary season or an average season. ”
The hope of capping a strong season with a piece of silverware therefore serves an additional motivation for Atletico. While Simeone hopes that its side is held to their well -defined tactical principles, he also admitted that a feeling of optimism would be essential to cross the finish line on Wednesday.
“Against Barcelona, we have to play with joy, with hope, play in the same way that we did in the first round,” he said. “It is clear that in this sense, I will not change.”
What Barcelona say
The impressive reversal of Hansi Flick of Barcelona short of money may face his biggest test against Atletico, especially since the push to win trophies becomes very real in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. Flick used his pre -match press conference on Tuesday as a chance not to overcome the chances of his team – or the fact that the main titles are on the way to Barcelona.
“We know that so far, we have not reached (anything) – ok, we have won the Supercopa (Spanish), but it’s in the past – and now we want to go to the final, but it’s not easy,” said Flick, Flick, said Flick, by espn. “Maybe it’s the closest title they can win, but (it’s) the same for us. A victory, then in the final. While at Aliga, there are a lot of games to play.”
Flick was also not willing to brush Atletico, complimating Simeone’s game style while his counterpart did the same in his pre-match remarks.
“Atletico has an excellent coach with (Diego) Simeone, an experienced team, they know how they want to play,” added Flick. “You can see in the matches before the last second they are there. It will be a difficult match. … Atletico will play as if they are normally playing, nothing different. They have their style. The intensity is always high, aggressive. It’s normal. I love the way they play football, also with a lot of speed in their game. I love their style, how they play.”
Planned alignments
Atletico Madrid: Juan Musso, Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand, Clement Lenglet, Cesar Azpilicueta, Giuliano Simeone, Conor Gallagher, Pablo Barrios, Samuel Lino, Alexander Sorloth, Julian Alvarez
Barcelona: Wojciech Szczesny, Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde, Eric García, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski
Player to watch
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona: A match equally competitive as it could be summed up with a decision maker, and the two games have a handful of players who could do so. If there is a player to choose from the group, however, it is the blade of Barcelona Yamal.
The 17 -year -old has adapted to the highest levels of the professional game in a transparent way and now has up to 13 goals and 16 assists all competitions this season. He also gets into the habit of doing it in the biggest games – since the day of the New Year, he has a goal against Real Madrid and a goal and a pass against Atletico. He will have a lot of help, including a Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha in shape, which should be available for Barcelona on Wednesday. He quickly became the star of the Flick team show, and there will be no better time to demonstrate it than in a very important semi-final.
Scenario to watch
Hunt for the Barcelona Trophy: The hopes may not have been raised for Barcelona after another chaotic offseason, but with the last weeks of the season, they feel like real contenders at La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. It is up to them not to come and come empty-handed and the semi-final on Wednesday offers a first real overview of their ability to cross the finish line.
It is not necessarily a moment of brand or rupture for Barcelona, which is always the favorites to win the Liga and has rediscovered an incredible amount of optimism after a few chaotic years. They always feel likely to win the Liga at the very least, but are also the favorites of their equality of the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund this month, thanks to a season of resurgence of a handful of different players. The best of cases, winner or losing, is that they do not have the impression of wasting the opportunity in front of them on Wednesday. If they let victory slide, however, questions about their ability to raise other trophies could slip to a very vital point of the season.
Prediction
Expect another competition game, but which will slightly promote Barcelona. Visitors have enough for them to go out in mind against a talented Atletico team, especially since a batch of players returns to fitness at the right time. Take: Atletico Madrid 2, Barcelona 3
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