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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2024/25 J8

FC Barcelona - Atalanta: Final test to close the league phase of the Champions in style

Published:28/01/2025 - 21:00h

Updated:29/01/2025 - 22:59h

Barça will host Benfica in the final match of the league phase of the Champions League 24/25. With a victory, the Catalans would secure second place in the table, and they could even dream of the top spot

Calendar of FC Barcelona

After just over four months of intense competition, the league phase of the Champions League 2024/25 in its new format comes to an end. In the closing of the first round of the continental tournament, a FC Barcelona 'on fire' after the historic comeback against Benfica (4-5) and the stunning thrashing of Valencia (7-1) will host Atalanta at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

The Catalans, already directly qualified for the round of 16, are looking for a victory that will secure them second place, and even dream of the top spot if Liverpool 'stumbles' against PSV, and they will do so in an unprecedented matchup in the history of the European championship.

Indeed, the trajectory of 'La Dea' in the Champions League is very short. This current edition marks just the fourth participation for Gasperini's team in the tournament, and after facing Arsenal, Shakhtar, Celtic, Stuttgart, Young Boys, Real Madrid, and Sturm Graz, they have accumulated 4 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss, placing them in 7th position in the table. With a win, the Italians would secure direct passage to the round of 16, making them a tough opponent for the Catalans.

Barça aims to maintain their perfect record in Montjuïc

If they secure three points against the 'nerazzurri', FC Barcelona will achieve their fourth consecutive home victory and the seventh in a row in the Champions League. The Catalans have not known defeat since their loss to AS Monaco (2-1) in the opening match, accumulating 18 out of 21 possible points with their wins against Young Boys, Bayern Munich, Red Star, Brest, Borussia Dortmund, and Benfica.

The balance of FC Barcelona at home in the Champions 2024-25

  • Matches played: 3. Wins: 3. Draws: 0. Losses: 0. Goals for: 12. Goals against: 1.
  • Matchday 2: FC Barcelona 5-0 Young Boys. Goals for Barça: Robert Lewandowski (min. 8 and 51'); Raphinha (min. 34); Iñigo Martínez (min. 37); Ali Camara (min. 81, GEC).
  • Matchday 3: FC Barcelona 4-1 FC Barcelona. Goals for Barça: Raphinha (min. 1, 45', 56'); Robert Lewandowski (min. 36).
  • Matchday 5: FC Barcelona 3-0 Stade Brest. Goals for Barça: Robert Lewandowski (min. 10, p., 90+2'); Dani Olmo (min. 66).

In Montjuïc, the Blaugranas 'thrashed' the Swiss (5-0), the Bavarians (4-1), and the French (3-0), and in the midst of these three routs in the magical mountain, the Catalans achieved three more victories in hostile territories like Serbia (2-5), Westphalia (2-5), and Lisbon (4-5). A new home victory against Atalanta would solidify the 'invincible' status of Flick's team in the Catalan capital and would be the definitive blow to close the league phase on a high note.

A key reinforcement for Hansi Flick

For the match against 'La Dea', Hansi Flick 'settled' the major doubt about his lineup by confirming the presence of Wojciech Szczesny between the posts. The Pole has definitively overtaken Iñaki Peña and, as of today, is the starting goalkeeper for Barça. Additionally, the German has recovered Pedri, who missed the last LaLiga match against Valencia due to gastroenteritis.

However, the coach will still have to cope with the significant absence of Dani Olmo, who is still working on recovering from his overload in the soleus of his right leg, and has added the absence of Andreas Christensen, who suffered an injury in the same area of the body as the Egarense. Marc-André Ter Stegen, Marc Bernal, and Iñigo Martínez will also be absent, with their return expected in the coming weeks.

A clash of goal scorers

If there is one thing that the clash between Barça and Atalanta promises, besides excitement, it is goals. The culé team is the highest-scoring team in the competition, accumulating 26 goals in their 7 matches and generating an average of 3.71 per game. The Blaugranas have conceded another 11 goals and feature the tournament's top scorers, Lewandowski (9) and Raphinha (8), who are poised to increase their tally this Wednesday, January 29.

On the other hand, the team led by Gian Piero Gasperini has scored 18 goals in the same number of matches, producing an average of 2.71 per match, while conceding 4. Catalans and transalpines are the two teams with the highest goal difference in the competition, with the Blaugranas leading this category with a +15, followed by the Italians with a +14.

With this context, the stage is set for a match that, aside from the difficulty it will present due to the clash of interests between both teams, is expected to be one of the most entertaining of the entire first round of the Champions. Montjuïc is preparing to be the stage for this new spectacle, where the Blaugranas are clear favorites as the most in-form team on the continent.

Technical sheet of the match