Barça-Atlético: Looking to defend first place without Lamine Yamal and Flick

Published:20/12/2024 - 13:08h

Updated:20/12/2024 - 13:08h

Both teams are tied with 38 points at the top of the table, so they will seek to win to break the tie and face the Christmas break leading the competition

FC Barcelona is facing its last game of 2024. It has been a difficult year, which has not been convincing in terms of football. With Hansi Flick at the helm, enthusiasm and competitiveness have come to the fore again, although the last few weeks have been a shock. Although the work carried out so far has been so good that it has allowed for room for error, it is time to react. In the Champions League, progress to the round of 16 is on track. However, in LaLiga, Barça has lost its comfortable lead of twelve points and already has Real Madrid and Atlético on its heels. Against the latter mentioned, the Catalans will play this Saturday, in Montjuic, at 9:00 p.m., to enjoy Christmas as leaders of the championship.

If the challenge of trying to beat the team with the best streak in the five major leagues was not enough, with 11 consecutive victories, the Blaugrana team will try to do so without Lamine Yamal or Hansi Flick. The Barça star has a grade 1 injury to the anterior intertibio-fibular ligament and will be out for 3-4 weeks, the club explained in a statement. The German coach will also serve his second match of suspension after the red card he received against Real Betis. Without the coach and the star, Barça must react and the match against the colchoneros is a great stage.

An opportunity to break the bad dynamic

FC Barcelona is in a bad situation in La Liga. In fact, if the table were guided by the last few games, the team managed by Hansi Flick would be in the relegation zone. They have only managed 5 of the last 18 points played for, so it is time to turn the situation around. It is not only important to not lose the lead, but the Barça players need to make a statement. Mentally, cutting the magnificent streak that Atlético is on will be an immense morale boost for the players.

As the Barça coach has repeated numerous times in recent weeks, the key is to play as a team again. Team spirit, full concentration from the first minute and competitive tension are fundamental aspects that took Barça to the top. The formula is well known and the method, if executed properly, works. It is a matter of applying these tactical notes to get the whole gear working again.

The squad available for this match leaves little doubt. The most important absences are, by far, Hansi Flick and Lamine Yamal. Christensen, who is expected to return in January, will also be absent, as will Ter Stegen and Bernal, who will be out for the entire season. As for Ansu Fati, he has been given the all-clear and will be included in the squad for the last match of the year. Ronald Araujo will also be there, although it seems unlikely that he will start. The Uruguayan was left without minutes against Leganés, but could make his re-debut against Atlético.

In a duel of such importance, FC Barcelona is expected to start the match with its best starting eleven. However, with the absence of the number '19', the casting for his position is open. In principle, the candidates are Ferran Torres and Fermín López. A priori, with both available, the Valencian is usually the chosen option, although it is possible that the staff decide that he stays on the bench to revolutionize the match if necessary.

Atlético has won 11 games

The visiting team will be Atlético de Madrid, who have been winning since October 31, chaining together a streak of 11 games winning. Diego Pablo Simeone's team has started to get going late, but is now presenting its candidacy to take the league title. With Antoine Griezmann in form and new signing Julán Álvarez in form, they hope to take all three points home, something they haven't managed since 2006. To try, they will have the entire squad available, including Clément Lenglet, a player on loan from Barça who is expected to start this weekend.

This weekend, the highest scoring team in LaLiga, Barça, will face the team with the fewest goals, Atleti. So, a spectacle is guaranteed. The match, corresponding to the eighteenth round of the league, is scheduled for this Saturday, at 9:00 p.m., at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.