Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona: Champions League – team news, starts, compilations | Soccer News

WHO: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona
What: Champions League quarter-final, second leg
Where: Metropolitan Stadium, Madrid, Spain
When: Tuesday at 21:00 (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sports from 16:00 GMT ahead of our live text commentary stream.

The Spanish football clubs Atletico Madrid and Barcelona will meet for the third time in 10 days, but, especially, with a UEFA Champions League (UCL) semi-final place at stake.

Atletico may be well behind their Catalan rivals in the La Liga title race, but they go into Tuesday’s game as heavy favorites thanks to a first leg victory against 10-man Barcelona at Camp Nou, and strong home form in Europe this season.

Barcelona, ​​the reigning La Liga champions, will have everything to do if they are to keep alive their dream of winning their sixth UCL trophy, and first since the 2014-2015 season.

Here’s everything to know ahead of the knockout tie:

What happened in the first leg at Camp Nou?

Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth scored in each half as Atletico took a precious 2-0 lead in a tense first-leg clash.

The La Liga leaders were on top in the first half before Pau Cubarsi was sent off to bring down Atletico’s Giuliano Simeone, who went through on goal.

Alvarez converted the free-kick on the stroke of half-time, and Sorloth doubled their advantage in the 70th minute to give Atletico a strong chance of reaching the semi-finals.

How did Barcelona do in La Liga at the weekend?

Barcelona beat rivals Espanyol 4-1 on Saturday and took a big step towards retaining their La Liga title as they moved nine points clear of second-placed Real Madrid.

Ferran Torres struck twice, both times assisted by Lamine Yamal, first with a header from a corner in the 10th minute before doubling the lead in the 25th, racing home from another Yamal pass.

Espanyol pulled one back in the 56th minute when Pol Lozano fired in a rebound just inside the box. But Yamal restored control in the 87th on a quick counter, with Marcus Rashford adding a fourth from Frenkie de Jong’s cross.

Barca moved up to 79 points with seven games remaining.

How did Atletico do in La Liga at the weekend?

Coach Diego Simeone rotated heavily for his side’s visit to Sevilla to keep players fresh as Atletico fell to a 2-1 defeat.

Akor Adams put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot, and after 20-year-old Atletico reserve defender Javier Bonar equalised, Nemanja Gudelj struck again for Sevilla before the break.

Atletico are fourth in the league standings with 57 points, four points behind third-placed Villarreal.

Have Atletico ever won the UEFA Champions League trophy?

Diego Simeone’s side have never won the competition.

They reached the final in 2014 and 2016, but were beaten by city rivals Real on both occasions.

How did Barcelona reach the UCL quarter-finals?

Barcelona stormed into the quarter-finals with an emphatic 8-3 win over Newcastle United.

Much of the work was done in their second leg clash, in which Barca defeated the Premier League side 7-2 at Camp Nou, with five different players scoring.

How did Atletico Madrid reach the UCL quarter-finals?

Atletico Madrid withstood a thrilling comeback from Tottenham Hotspur to advance 7-5 despite losing 3-2 in the second leg in north London.

Simeone’s side, who scored four times in the first 22 minutes in the first leg’s 5-2 home defeat, were reeling under a home onslaught, but goals from Julian Alvarez and David Hancko finally gave them a break.

Did Atletico and Barcelona face each other in the knockout stages?

The two sides have met twice in the Champions League knockout stages, both times in the quarter-finals, with Atletico coming through in 2014 and 2016 on their run to the final each season. Atletico also played the second leg at home on those occasions.

What did the managers say?

Diego Simeone: “We know the opponent we face, and we are aware of how strong they are, but we are also aware of what our goal is – to progress.”

Hansi Flick: “We have the quality. We have the players who can change that. But of course we have to fight. We have to focus on the magic.”

Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid: Head to Head

The two clubs faced each other on 251 occasions. Barcelona won 115 of those matches, Atletico won 79, and 57 ended in draws.

Last 10 meetings:

8 April: Barcelona 0-2 Atletico (Champions League quarter-final, first leg)

April 4: Atletico 1-2 Barcelona (La Liga)

March 3: Barcelona 3-0 Atletico (Copa del Rey semi-final)

February 12: Atletico 4-0 Barcelona (Copa del Rey semi-final)

December 2: Barcelona 3-1 Atletico (La Liga)

2 April 2025: Atletico 0-1 Barcelona (Copa del Rey semi-final)

16 March 2025: Atletico 2-4 Barcelona (La Liga)

25 February 2025: Barcelona 4-4 Atletico (Copa del Rey semi-final)

21 December 2024: Barcelona 1-2 Atletico (La Liga)

17 April 2024: Atlético 0-3 Barcelona (La Liga)

Atletico’s team news

Marc Pubill is suspended after picking up three yellow cards, while Jose Gimenez, Pablo Barrios and David Hancko are doubtful due to injuries.

Predicted starting XI:

Musso (goalkeeper); Molina, Le Normand, Lenglet, Ruggeri; Llorente, Cooks; Simeone, Griezmann, Lookman; Alvarez

Barcelona’s team news

The defender Cubarsi was suspended after his red card in the first leg and will be replaced by Ronald Araujo, who played in the back line against Espanyol at the weekend.

Marc Bernal, Raphinha and Andreas Christensen are all out injured.

Predicted starting XI:

Joan Garcia (goalkeeper); Conde, Araujo, Martin, Cancelo; Eric Garcia, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Rashford; Lewandowski