Overview
The last two times Barcelona faced Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League both ended in defeat, when the Catalan team lost 1-2 in the 2013-2014 season and 2-3 in the 2015-2016 season, respectively.
Barcelona has also only won one of their last four encounters with Atletico in European competitions, scoring only 3 goals. However, they have an advantage in domestic leagues when they have won 5/6 recent encounters, including a 2-1 victory in La Liga last weekend.
Coach Hansi Flick's team currently leads La Liga with a 7-point gap from Real Madrid, and is also rated higher in this confrontation. However, they are still clearly aware of the difficulties that domestic rivals can create.
In the round of 16, Barcelona crushed Newcastle United with a total score of 8-3, including a 7-2 victory at home. Their sublime form helped them maintain an unbeaten streak in all competitions for nearly two months.
The explosive attack continues to be a great support, with the highlight of Lamine Yamal - a young talent who is going through an impressive season.
Meanwhile, Atletico entered the match with poor form when losing 3 consecutive matches in all competitions, including a defeat to Barcelona in La Liga.
Diego Simeone's team is currently fourth in the rankings and almost no longer has much pressure in the domestic race. Instead, they will focus all their strength on the Champions League and the upcoming Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad.
In the round of 16, Atletico, despite losing to Tottenham Hotspur 2-3 in the second leg, still won a ticket to the next round with a total score of 7-5.
Last season, they were eliminated by Real Madrid from the round of 16 and have never passed the quarter-finals since the 2016-2017 season. Notably, Atletico has lost 4 matches in the Champions League this season but still reached the top 8 strongest teams.
However, the history of confrontations against Barcelona in this arena is still a spiritual support to help Atletico gain more confidence before the upcoming rematch.
Personnel situation
Barcelona will be without the services of Andreas Christensen (knee), Raphinha (hamstring), Frenkie de Jong (hamstring) and Marc Bernal (ankle) in this match.
However, Ronald Araujo is ready to return after having to leave the field in the previous match against Atletico Madrid.
Good news for the Camp Nou team is that Jules Kounde has recovered from injury and made a comeback from the bench in La Liga last weekend. The French defender is expected to start in the upcoming match.
In attack, Robert Lewandowski is likely to return to the center forward position. However, Marcus Rashford - who is playing on loan from Manchester United - has impressed and may continue to be trusted on the left wing.
On Atletico's side, goalkeeper Jan Oblak, Marc Pubill and Rodrigo Mendoza have returned to practice and are ready to play.
However, Pablo Barrios is still absent due to a thigh injury. Meanwhile, Jose Gimenez and Johnny Cardoso have not ensured their best physical condition and their ability to play is still uncertain.
Julian Alvarez - who is linked with moving to Barcelona - is likely to return to the starting lineup after only coming on as a substitute in the most recent match. In addition, key players such as David Hancko, Ademola Lookman and Matteo Ruggeri are also ready to participate from the start.
Expected lineup:
Barcelona: J. Garcia, Kounde, Cubarsi, Martin, Cancelo, E. Garcia, Pedri, Yamal, Fermin, Rashford, Lewandowski.
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Llorente, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri, Koke, Baena, Simeone, Griezmann, Lookman, Alvarez.
The match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid takes place at 2:00 a.m. on April 9 (Vietnam time).
