Barcelona, Atletico set for triple-header within 10 days

By Enitan Abdultawab

In just 10 days, FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid will play three fierce games: two in the UEFA Champions League and one in the league.

These games almost look like a repeat of the two-legged tie between the two in the Copa Del Rey, with the Blaugranes losing out on a 4-3 aggregate.

This time around, the actual situation is much more complicated. This tripleheader is one of the pivotal moments of the season for both teams because each match has its own aim, pressure spots, and tactical considerations.

First tie – Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona (April 4, league match)

This tie is important for both teams in terms of purpose. While Barcelona would be looking to keep their 4-point lead on the La Liga table, a win for their visitors would put them ahead of Villarreal in third place. The first leg at Barcelona’s former ground, Olympic Montjuic, ended 2-1 in favour of Barcelona and the home side would be hoping to avenge the loss. Barcelona’s last visit to the Wanda Metropolitano was disastrous as they conceded four goals just in the first half.

Second tie – Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid (April 8, UCL)

Having knocked out England’s Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur from the UCL Round of 16 respectively, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are poised for a Spanish UCL quarter-final. Both teams will hope not to be carefree, as it is a two-legged tie where many things can be decided strategically over both legs. The visitors might sit back and defend so they could finish off the work in the second leg while the home side might decide to control the match, ensure they do not concede goals and finish off the job in the first leg.

There are more factors to this tie. A couple of players are one card away from suspension. Lamine Yamal, Fermín, Gerard Martín, and Casvé are from Barça, whilst Giuliano, Ruggeri, Barrios, Pubill, Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, and Almada are from Atlético.

Third tie – Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona (April 14, UCL)

This last tie finally defines the season for each team. Apart from the yellow card risk that comes with this tie from its first leg, the weekend games in La Liga are factors. While Barcelona risk a very tough derby against Espanyol, Atletico Madrid face Sevilla.

More interestingly, four days after the Barcelona tie, Atletico Madrid play a high-stakes Copa Del Rey final against Real Sociedad.

This only means one thing – Diego Simeone’s men would need to set their priorities in line with their season’s objectives.

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