Barcelona are coming to town and it’s going to be a cracker. They will face the fortress Vicente CalderĂłn where AtlĂ©tico have only lost one game so far this season and that was Real Betis in Manzano’s last La Liga game. Barcelona have struggled lately in the league and lost some vital points especially in away games. But of course they are up to the task and desperately want to reduce the ten point difference between them and Real Madrid. Against Lazio earlier this week the atmosphere was really great but tomorrow the crowd will explode. Hopefully it will push the team to get a result because in recent years we were mostly always capable to do so.
At. Madrid
BarcelonaVenue:Vicente Calderon (Capacity 54,960)
Kick Off: 26/02/2012 21:30 (CET)
Barcelona are coming to town and it’s going to be a cracker. They will face the fortress Vicente CalderĂłn where AtlĂ©tico have only lost one game so far this season and that was Real Betis in Manzano’s last La Liga game. Barcelona have struggled lately in the league and lost some vital points especially in away games. But of course they are up to the task and desperately want to reduce the ten point difference between them and Real Madrid. Against Lazio earlier this week the atmosphere was really great but tomorrow the crowd will explode. Hopefully it will push the team to get a result because in recent years we were mostly always capable to do so.
Atlético News
Simeone of course reduced the pressure on his team saying that it’s only a game where you get three points. But against Barca it’s always special. Under Simeone we are on great form and haven’t lost a game yet. It is true that recent draws against Racing and Sporting have slowed the climbing a little, but the good feeling is still here. In nine games, Atletico have conceded two goals, but above all, has earned the respect of his rivals. On the basis of struggle, hard work and sacrifice, but also by playing well.
Apart from Diego and Antonio Lopéz who are injured, Arda Turan is doubtful to play tomorrow. He received another knock during a training session and so far nobody knows if he can play or not. This morning he did some recovery work and wasn’t able to play together with the team. His absence combined with Diego’s would be a major blow but the team lately is on fire and other have to stand up. Adrián and Salvio also trained apart from the group on Friday but they will be able to play on Sunday.
Regarding the line-up Simeone is forced to make some changes in the midfield. With Diego and maybe Arda out he has to react twice. There are a few options of which he can choose but it is likely he will start with Assuncao and Gabi in the middle to try to stop Barcelonas creativity department. Tiago will be the playmaker providing the wingers and strikers with good balls. Koke or Salvio could jump in for Arda if he isn’t able to feature and Adrián might see himself again on the right wing.
Also in his press conference Simeone was asked why he feels he has received so much praise even though the team have not won in 3 games. Simeone said that right now the press is ok with him but maybe tomorrow that will change but he won’t change his work rate and his way of preparing the team. He said the players deserve the credit for the recent up turn and good performances.
Asked by Garreth Nunn was he worried that it has become quite common for new Atleti teams who have improved under a new manager and players to become quite undone under Barça, Simeone was short and answered with one word, no.
Simeone stressed that the team could win and instead of looking at Barça’s style of play and worrying about how to stop them, he was looking at how AtlĂ©tico could attack and win the game.
Possible Starting XI
At. Madrid 
- 13Courtois
- 20Juanfran
- 2GodĂn
- 23Miranda
- 6Filipe Luis
- 12Assunçao
- 14Gabi
- 7AdrĂan
- 11Arda Turan
- 5Tiago
- 9Falcao
Opposition News
The good thing for Barcelona and the worst thing for Atlético is that Xavi is able to play. He overcame his injury and will play with Iniesta who currently is in great shape. Iniesta also said in an interview that the ten points difference between them and Real are not shaped by bad refereeing but simply because of their own mistakes, which is very honest.
Speaking of the league where Barcelona is second behind Madrid, the upcoming games tomorrow could be some kind of the decider already. If we are able to get some points and Madrid manages to win against Rayo this would be mainly it. But of course it could go the other way round and the league race might be interesting again.
After their loss against Osasuna form two weeks ago, Barca bounced back and hammered Valencia at home with 5:1. Garreth spoke to Graham Hunter on a special This is Atleti and they talked about the blip and also about this current Atleti team.
One To Watch
Huh, another easy one. Simply every single one of them. Who should you keep an eye on? Mr. I-love-to-score-against-Atleti Messi, or the brilliant duo of Xavi and Iniesta. Alexis Sanchez who is on fire right now or the lost son Cesc Fabregas. Puyol, Pique, Valdez… The list continues. Today Simeone was asked about Sanchez and he described the player as being extraordinary and said that he has been lucky to work with some of the best coaches out there. Puyol suffered at times under Kun and Torres but he had Falcao in his pocket in the Camp Nou. But as I said it is so difficult to single out just one player. They simply are the best team in the world. No doubt about that.
Previous Encounters
Counting the last ten games in the Vicente Calderón against Barcelona, we have a positive statistic. We won five games, drew two and lost only three times. We lost the last game in 2010 by 1:2 but and of course the away game in the Camp Nou this year with 5:0. But if you look back to 2009 and 2008 there were those two brilliant matches which we managed to win with 4:3 and 4:2. Puyol , as mentioned above, still has nightmares about Agüero and Forlán. But of course on the downside a shocking 0:6 defeat at home back in 2007. We have seen players make names for themselves in these games. Camacho, now at Malaga, made his debut against Barca.
Since 1977, we have played Barça 32 times, where we have won 15 of those encounters. We have scored 51 goals and conceded 56 which means that this game averages a 3.3 goals per game. The last time the game ended goal less was back in 2003.
Other Info
The club have announced that for the Beskitas game, socios will be able to buy tickets for only €15.
DomĂnguez, Koke and Adrián have been called up to the Spanish Olympic squad who will play against Egypt.
Courtois spoke during the week with El Mundo Deportivo where he said that he wasn’t simply at Atleti to learn but that he wanted to win trophies and achieve something big at the club.
Koke did an interview with AS were he said that ex Atleti player Juninho was his idol but his reference in the current game is Xavi. He said at Atleti that Tiago is the player that he most relates to and the Portuguese is always giving me advice.
Comments
Posted On
Feb 25, 2012Posted By
StevieDo you really think Assuncao will start? If you would have asked me last week I would have said not a chance in hell but now I am thinking that maybe yes. The photos on the Facebook page are impressive.
Posted On
Feb 25, 2012Posted By
FloWe could definitely use his qualitys for a game like tomorrow. Of course he hasn’t featured much under Simeone but he could be useful for tomorrow simply to break their midfield dominance.