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Barcelona is all set to take on Atletico Madrid in their La Liga Clash later tonight and the game promises to be a big one for both teams who are both looking for a steady start to the season after falling behind in the early stages thus resulting in lagging behind table toppers Real Madrid.
Owing to a formidable job done by Diego Simeone over the last half-decade, Atletico Madrid has grown to be one of the formidable and feared competitors in the League which was previously ruled by Barcelona and Real Madrid for quite a considerable period of time.Barcelona returned to winning ways in La Liga as goals from Neymar, Rafinha, Luiz Suarez and a Lionel Messi double gave them a 5-1 win over Leganes whileAtletico Madrid recorded their third straight win on the bounce by thrashing Sporting Gijon 5-0 at the Vicente Calderon on 17 September.
It is safe to say that the Nou Camp is going to witness a tremendous game in the beginning stages of the Spanish League with two of the biggest teams in the league fighting it out for a full three points to climb up the table and close in on Los Blancos. Sergio Busquets returns as the holding midfielder after being rested in last Saturday’s win against Legans. Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic, who were substituted in the last game are also slated to start tonight completing Barcelona’s formidable midfield trio.
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid – Manager Speak
Luis Enrique: “[Atletico Madrid] look like they’re practically the same team that was so successful in the last few years, especially the way they defend and in other aspects of play like transition game, counterattack. And with their new players and their other players, they’re one of the best teams in [La Liga]. They’re aspiring to all the titles on the tablelike they have in recent years with Simeone as their coach. And we have to do a lot of things well. Commit very few errors, play our game, try to control possession – we have to play a complete game.”
Diego Simeone: “[Barcelona] always have their identity and their football. They will have [Javier] Mascherano in the centre, and all their usual players. Sergi Roberto on the right gives them more options in attack. The rest will be the same. More than in midfield, the game will be decided in the areas. They have a tremendous offensive power. If we defend well, we will have our chances. The middle of the pitch is for transitions.”
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid-Predicted Starting Line-ups
Barcelona (4-3-3)
Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Neymar
Atletico Madrid (4-3-3)
Oblak; Juanfran, Gimenez, Godin, Luis; Fernandez, Saul, Koke; Griezmann, Gameiro, Carrasco
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid- Match Details
Date:Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Time:10pm local time (CET), 9pm BST (UK), 4pm ET, 1pm PT (US), 1:30am IST (India, next day)
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: David Fernndez Borbaln
Barcelona vs Atletico- Madrid Tv Guide
The clash between two of the biggest sides in Europe right now will be telecasted on beIN SPORTS (US & Canada), beIN SPORTS En Espaol (US & Canada – Spanish), Sky Sports 2 (UK), Sony Six SD/HD (India), Movistar+, Canal+ Partidazo (Spain).
Live Streaming: beIN SPORTS CONNECT (US & Canada), Sky GO (UK), FuboTV (US & Canada)
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid- Match Predictions
Inspite of the fact that Atletico are probably the most hardworking side at the moment, what is to be taken under consideration is the fact that the Barcelona front trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar are in terrific form and are destroying every defense line that are coming in their path. Our prediction is that tonight’s game will end with Barcelona on the winning side with a scoreline of 3-0 with all three of the MSN trio scoring a goal apiece.
