| After Atletico Madrid manage to win 2-0 at Camp Nou in the first leg, Barcelona are backed to the wall and will have to look for a magical turnaround at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid. Atletico Madrid achieved a perfect result in Barcelona. The hosts have not reached the semi-finals since 2017 and motivation is huge. However, the team has serious personnel problems in defense and midfield. The Catalans are the youngest team in the tournament and their lack of experience was evident in the first leg. They will rely on the offensive power of Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo to overcome the two-goal deficit. The list of absentees in Simeone squad includes Jan Oblak, Jose Jimenez and David Hanczo. Marc Pubil is suspended, and midfielders Jonny Cardoso and Pablo Barrios are also missing. Hansi Flick could welcome back Jules Kunde and Alejandro Balde, who have recovered from injuries. However, Rafinha and Frenkie de Jong remain questionable, which could make Marc Bernal key player in the middle. The Atleti will be on the lookout for a single counterattack to kill the intrigue. Barcelona will control the ball aiming to stretch Atletico's defense. |
