Tomorrow, a box office thriller will be set in eastern Madrid. Flick and the boys will face Simeoni's army on the battlefield. Los rojiblancos already have a big lead of two goals, but the Catalan giants are fully set to make a remontada in the Spanish capital.
First Leg Shock at Camp Nou
In the first leg, Athletico defeated Barca 2-0 at Camp Nou, which was an absolutely shocking result for everyone; the red card of Cubarsi and pathetic defending from Barca made things easy for Athletico. Barca pulled off a decent performance in the second half of the match, but they were not able to find the net for a single time while the visitors did it twice.
A Painful History in UCL Knockouts
Barca and Atletico met twice in UCL knockouts before, and the final smile was on Simeone's face both times. In the 2015-16 UCL quarter-final, Griezmann led the victory, and in the 2013-14 quarter-final, Koke's early goal gave them a ticket for the semi-final. Historically, Atletico holds an edge here, but Flick's Barca have a strong history of pulling off comebacks in different competitions, including the UCL, and they already have a good history in the Metropolitano under Flick.
Defensive Reshuffle: New Roles, Big Responsibility
Barca will start with Joan Garcia as guardian, as Cubarsi is suspended; most probably Araujo will be deployed in the right centre-back role and Martin will occupy the left centre-back role. This is a golden chance for Araujo to erase his past bad experience in UCL big games, and for Martin it's a great opportunity to gain Flick's trust for coming seasons. Joao Cancelo will be in the left-back role as he is in good form, and Jules Kounde will be back on the right after being benched for the last Catalan derby.
Midfield Magic Returns with De Jong and Pedri
De Jong is back to pitch with an assist on the Catalan derby, which is a huge boost for the team. He is expected to start with Pedri in the midfield, and fans are expecting nothing else but magic from their feet in this do-or-die clash. Olmo may start in the number 10 role, and we can expect Fermin in an important role from the bench in the 2nd half. If Olmo is able to give his best tomorrow, then it will make a great positive impact for Barca.
Attack Reloaded: Experience, Redemption, and Youth
Lewa got rested for the Catalan derby and will start in this match. The team hopes his experience will deliver goals in this; unlike the first leg, Rashford will start in the left winger role, as he wanted to revive himself from the nightmare of missing chances in the first leg. Lamine Yamal is playing in the form of his life and is the biggest threat to Atlético's defence. We have no doubt in his quality of creating chances, but if the teenager is able to score some chances, then the comeback will happen for sure.
Atlético’s Defensive Wall and Transition Threat
Barca have defensive concerns, but Athletico have their defence as a strength. They will miss Pubil and Hancko most probably for the second leg, and Normand and Lenglet are expected to start, but they are a team which is built on defensive strength and concentration; all their players, including their striker, are really good at defending if needed, so it will not be easy for Barca to break the defence. Even if Athletico park the bus, we hope to gradually find the way to break it with their creativity, but the important thing is they should be able to stop Athletico's killer transition runs.
The world is excited to see the battle. What are your thoughts? Comment below.
