Barcelona Vs Atletico Madrid Prediction: Blaugrana Wants To Show Dominance In The Copa Del Rey Semifinals
JAKARTA Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys akan menjadi saksi duel panas antara Barcelona dan Atletico Madrid dalam leg pertama semifinal Copa del Rey pada Selasa malam 25 Februari atau Rabu dini WIB. Kedua tim yang tengah bersaing ketat di at atas atas atas La Liga ini akan berupaya mendapatkan hasil maksimal sebelum bertemu kembali di leg kedua yang baru akan digelar pada awal April.
The Blaugrana is the most successful team in the history of the Copa del Rey with a collection of 31 trophies. The Catalan club last won this tournament in the 2020/2021 season and is now determined to lift the trophy again under Hansi Flick.
Although the top priority of the Blaugrana remains La Liga and the Champions League, they will not simply let go of the opportunity to add to the domestic title collection. Barcelona qualified for the semifinals after eliminating Barbastro, Real Betis, and Valencia with 14 goals in the process.
Currently, Barcelona are in an impressive performance with an unbeaten record of the last 13 games in all competitions. They have just beaten Las Palmas 2-0 in La Liga, the result that led them to remain at the top of the table, winning over Real Madrid based on a record meeting.
Flick had to consider playing a rotation as his team will face Real Sociedad in La Liga this weekend, before traveling to Portugal to fight Benfica in the last 16 of the Champions League. However, with a fairly long gap between the first and second legs of the semifinals, Barcelona will try to win at home.
Atletico Madrid also came into this match with high confidence. Diego Simeone's team is currently in third place in La Liga, only one point behind Barcelona. They are also in a positive trend after beating Valencia 3-0 in the last match.
Los Rojiblancos are still competing in three competitions La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Champions League where they will face Real Madrid in the round of 16. Even though the Copa del Rey is not a top priority, Atletico certainly doesn't want to miss the chance to win a domestic trophy, considering they last won in 2013.
Historically, Atletico have often struggled to face Barcelona in this event. They lost 2-3 on aggregate when they last met in the Copa del Rey semifinals in the 2016/2017 season and have never eliminated Barcelona in this tournament since 2000. However, Atletico managed to beat Barcelona 2-1 in La Liga this season, breaking their five consecutive defeats to the Catalan club.
Barcelona still have to monitor the condition of Lamine Yamal, who suffered minor injuries against Las Palmas. However, this talented young player is expected to be fit enough to play.
Andreas Christensen is also likely to return to the squad after recovering from injury, but Marc Bernal and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are still absent. Flick is likely to make some changes to his line-up, with Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Inigo Martinez, and Ronald Araujo potentially returning to the starting XI.
Ferran Torres, who scored a hat-trick against Valencia in the previous round and scored again against Las Palmas, is likely to still start from the bench.
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In Atletico's camp, Juan Musso is likely to replace Jan Oblak as goalkeeper, as he has been the main goalkeeper in the Copa del Rey this season.
Pablo Barrios, who missed victory over Valencia due to suspension, will return to the first team. However, Koke is still doubtful about appearing injured.
Julian Alvarez, who scored two goals against Valencia, will again be relied on in the front line with Antoine Griezmann. Meanwhile, Javi Galan and Jose Gimenez have the potential to get a place at the starting XI after being rested in the previous match.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are both in good form, so this match is predicted to be tight. Barcelona has the advantage of playing at home, but Atletico will not be afraid of the solid playing style they have under Simeone.
This match is likely to run at a high tempo, considering both teams want to make a profit before the second leg. Barcelona may be slightly outperformed due to their home factors and a good record in the Copa del Rey. However, Atletico Madrid has shown that they can put up a fierce fight.
Estimated Lineup Of Players
Barcelona: Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, I. Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, Olmo, Yamal; Lewandowski.
Atletico Madrid: Musso; Molina, Gimenez, Le Normand, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Lino; Griezmann, Alvarez.
Score prediction:Barcelona 2-1 Atletico Madrid