Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona is set to be one of the biggest La Liga matches of the season before next week’s international break. The match will be played at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday, November 8, as Barcelona looks to extend its La Liga lead and secure a signature win after losing El Clásico two weeks ago, while Atletico Madrid looks to extend its seven-match winning streak in La Liga.
Heading into this match, Atletico sit second in the La Liga table with 28 points from 11 matches, while the Catalans lead with 30 points. The Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona match should be an entertaining and physical affair, as Atletico eliminated Barcelona last season in both the Copa Del Rey and the Champions League. The outcome will have major implications for the title race, with Real Madrid lurking.
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona: Three Key Battles
1. Julian Alvarez vs Pau Cubarsi
After a summer of transfer-window drama regarding a potential move from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona, Julian Alvarez has struggled to find his footing this season, scoring only two and providing two assists in 11 appearances across all competitions. Despite the slow start, the Argentine is finding his form, having scored two goals in his last four games.
Now, he will face Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsi for the first time since the duo met in the World Cup final.
Alvarez is Atletico’s best attacker, and the Argentine scored 18 goals last season, including two goals and one assist in six games against the Catalans. His speed and experience will be critical in the Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona match, as Atletico will look to break Barcelona’s high line, as they did last season.
Atletico scored 10 goals in six matches against Barcelona last season, and most of them came on counterattacks. His partnership with Alexander Sorloth will be crucial in executing this tactic against Barcelona’s defence, as they will need to time their runs perfectly to avoid being offside.
Pau Cubarsi has been Barcelona’s best defender this season and was one of Spain’s best players in the World Cup, winning the tournament’s Best Young Player award. He will be tasked with shutting down Alvarez in the Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona match with a short-handed defence.
As always, Cubarsi will be the key anchor in executing the Catalans’ high-line tactic in Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona, as the defence looks to limit Atletico’s chances in attack and avoid being vulnerable to counterattacks. He will have to replicate his World Cup Final performance against Alvarez if the Catalans want to win.
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2. David Hancko vs Raphinha
David Hancko has become one of Atletico Madrid’s most consistent defenders since arriving from Feyenoord last season.
He has started 12 of Atletico’s 15 matches and helped the defence record six clean sheets, with 38 clearances, 10 tackles, and 11 interceptions in La Liga this season. However, he will face one of his biggest challenges of the season: containing one of the world’s best players, Raphinha, in the Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona match.
Raphinha has excelled this season as Barcelona’s No.9, scoring 19 goals in 13 matches in all competitions, an average of almost 1.5 goals per game. He is currently La Liga’s top scorer, and his speed and quality will be a huge test against an Atletico Madrid defence without their star defender, Christian Romero.
With no one established as a consistent defender, Hancko has to lead this unit in the Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona match as the Catalans average 4.16 goals per game.
Hancko has been instrumental in leading Atletico Madrid to clean sheets in their last three La Liga games. He is not only the anchor of the defence, but he has also combined defensive consistency with key contributions in buildup and set pieces. He has already assisted two goals this season, and it shouldn’t be surprising if he tries to make an impact with his distribution, as Atletico will look to build their chances from the back before going on the counterattack in the Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona match.
3. Koke vs Pedri
Koke is Atletico Madrid’s leader, having spent 16 seasons with the club as their holding midfielder. With both sides looking to dominate possession through the midfield, the leaders of both teams’ midfield, Koke and Pedri, will determine which attack gets the most scoring opportunities in the Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona match.
Despite recording no stats yet this season, Koke has been instrumental in the midfield’s impact, with 94% passing accuracy in La Liga and 385 completed passes to dictate the tempo from deep. He has created seven chances and made 10 successful tackles in La Liga, positioning himself as both a defensive and distribution player.
With Barcelona playing a high line, he will need to play a key role in breaking it down while giving his attackers more freedom.
Pedri will also play a key role, as he will have to fill in for Rodri, who will miss the Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona match due to a hamstring injury. He will need to set the tempo for Barcelona’s midfield while helping open up spaces for attackers like Lamine Yamal to run into.
If Pedri and the midfield don’t dominate possession, Koke and Atletico’s midfield will have plenty of chances to expose Barcelona’s defence in the Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona match.
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Extra Time Notes
What an incredible game to close the La Liga slate before the international break, with first place in La Liga in the balance. While Barcelona got the best of Atletico Madrid in La Liga, Atletico got their revenge in the Copa Del Rey and Champions League, eliminating the Catalans in both competitions.
In their six games last season, they averaged 3.2 goals per game, and we shouldn’t expect much different in the Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona match, as both defences have shown vulnerabilities.
Revenge will be a huge motivator for the Catalans, as they will feel they were far better than Atletico despite being eliminated by them twice last season. With first place in La Liga on the line, Barcelona will look to avoid that same mistake: giving Atletico Madrid a chance to be serious title contenders and to extend their lead to five points.
While they might be the away team, Barcelona should be the favourites to win this La Liga clash as they have won their last two matches against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano. Despite their El Clásico defeat, they have been the best team in Spain with one of the best attacks in Europe.
Despite losing to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, this is the best form we have seen Atletico Madrid in La Liga in a long time, as they have won seven straight games. They have the talent to beat Barcelona again, as they did last season, so this game will come down to which team wins the midfield battle.
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