PREVIEW | Atlético Madrid v FC Barcelona

What a game we have in store this Sunday at the Metropolitano as two of the frontrunners in the chase for the 2024/25 La Liga title go head-to-head in another veritable 6-pointer between two football giants.

Barça are currently one point ahead of Atlético Madrid, so a victory in the 9pm CET kick-off would put some substantial breathing space between them and a direct rival. But defeat would paint a very different picture. It would throw Atlético right back into the mix, and push Barça back down to third, with the other main contender for the championship, Real Madrid, having returned (at least temporarily) to the top thanks to a 2-1 win at Villarreal on Saturday.

Of course, one extremely important variable in all this is the fact that Barça have a game in hand after their fixture at home to Osasuna was cancelled last week following the tragic death of Dr Miñarro.  

Bad week for Atlético

Every point dropped between now and the end of the season could prove very costly indeed, and Atlético will be kicking themselves for letting a 1-0 lead slip at Getafe last week and eventually losing 2-1.

It's not been a good few days for the mattress-makers, for on Wednesday their Champions League dream was ended by a penalty shootout defeat to city rivals Real Madrid that has left the whole football world debating the controversial decision to disallow Julián Álvarez's kick. Atlético will need to pick themselves up both mentally and physically after that, while Barça's own UCL encounter with Benfica was a relatively stress-free one, and the Catalans have also had an extra day to prepare for Sunday's clash.

Cup rivals

Of course, this game is one of three that these two sides are serving up in the space of just a few weeks. And if this one is only half as exciting as the last one, then we are in for a classic.

The Copa del Rey first leg at the Estadi Olímpic packed just about as much action into 90 minutes as is physically possible. Atlético stunned the home side with two early goals, but Barça reacted in extraordinary fashion, blazing in four goals before things all went wrong in the final minutes and Atlético clawed their way back for a 4-4 draw.

That wasn't the only time this season that Atlético have hit Barça late. Also at the Estadi, in the league game just before Christmas, Alexander Sørloth snatched a winner for the visitors in the sixth minute of injury time.

That was perhaps the most infuriating defeat that Barça have suffered this season. From start to finish, they controlled the game and were by far the superior of two sides, but somehow or other Diego Simeone got away with it to claim his first away win against Barça after a decade and a half of failed attempts.

Barça on top form

So, there is an awful lot hanging on the outcome of this match, but Barça have every reason to feel confident that they can get three points that would put them in a very commanding position indeed ahead of the last international break of the season.

They are currently on a six-match winning streak in the domestic championship and haven't lost a single one of the 17 games played in all competitions in 2025. And the goals are flowing thick and fast. They are by far the highest scoring team in la Liga with 71 goals, with no fewer than 21 of those delivered by Mr Pichichi, Robert Lewandowski.

Team news

There aren't too many things for Barça to worry about in the fitness department, aside from Marc Bernal and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who are both out for what will probably be the rest of the season. The only other absentee is Andreas Christensen, who is making good progress with his recovery and is expected to return to duty very soon.

Things aren't too bad for the home side either. There are question marks concerning Koke and Rodrigo De Paul, but both could well get to feature, but one man who certainly won't is Ángel Correa, who was red-carded against Getafe last week and is thus suspended.

Hansi says

"The team seems really focused. We are looking forward to the game and it will be tough, but we are ready for it," explained the FC Barcelona coach on Saturday before going on to outline the dangers presented by Atlético. "They are a fantastic team and in great form with experienced players. We played two great games against them and we have to be focused until the end. In the first game we were not as focused as we should have been and in the second we should have been more aware. We have to move forward as a team; when you make a mistake they can really hurt you."

You will find the full story of Flick's pre-game conference here, while there were also words for the media in the build-up from Jules Kounde and Frenkie de Jong.