The Catalan club faces one of the fiercest domestic rivals in the Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday 5th April, an encounter that can really go either way. The last time these two teams met in the Champions League the Rojiblancos emerged victorious, edging them by a goal on at a 2-1 aggregate score line.
Since the appointment of current Coach Luis Enrique, the Blaugrana outfits have gone on to win all the six meetings between the two teams in all competitions. Their last two meetings both ended in a 2-1 score line in favor of Barcelona. Barcelona lost their last league match against Real Madrid 2-1 whiles on the other hand Atletico won 5-1 against Real Betis. Atletico go into this match without Hernández and Tiago, whiles José Giménez, Godín, Carrasco and Saúl Níguez still remain doubtful. Barcelona also go into the game without Adriano, Jeremy Mathieu and Sandro Ramirez. This is going to be the ninth Quarter Finals in a row for Barcelona and the third in a row for Atletico Madrid and the Rojiblancos have only been eliminated (defeated) by Spanish teams during this period. The Catalan team’s biggest threats nowadays are Spanish teams.
The game on Tuesday will be viewed as the best defense in Europe coming up against the most feared attacking trio in Europe. Atletico’s composed and compact defensive structure has caused nightmares for many teams for about three seasons now. They concede very few goals though they don’t score many themselves. Much emphasis is put on Atletico’s defense because of their style of play but they also have a very good midfield and a fantastic attack. Their transition from defense to attack is one of the best in Europe and they use that to punish their opponents. A very physical side, which has cost them sometimes most notably in the last meeting against Barcelona where two of their players where sent off and they were forced to play a much more reserved game for the remainder of the match. MSN, the nickname of arguably the best attacking trio put together in the 21st century have scored 107 goals amongst them this season, they naturally strike fear in the hearts of their opponents even before the games begin. Barcelona are the direct opposite of their rivals, as they take a more attack minded approach into games, pressing high up the pitch. They are not as physical as Atletico even though they are more physical than they were when they conquered Europe from 2008-2012. Now favoring a more direct approach, they don’t tend to pass the ball around a lot too instead they have mastered the art of giving through passes to their attackers who are more capable of finishing of the job when they do get the ball. Atletico have used Barcelona’s style to punish them in previous seasons and might look forward to doing it again so they can make it out of the Quarter Finals this season.
The game on Tuesday will be one not to miss as both teams come up against each other as 1st and 2nd placed in the La Liga. Which such quality, any small mistake will be punished
By Alfred Amoah
@FCBAmoah
The Conventional Playmaker 