La Liga’s top two go head to head on coming Saturday in a high stake showdown. Both Barça and Atlético are at 38 points, with Atletico at advantage with one game in hand.
With Barça heading to this game with a poor run of form, this is a must win game to stay on top of the league. Barça have managed just one win in their last six La Liga games, dropping crucial points. Atlético, on the other hand are unbeatable in their last six league games.
The Lamine Factor
With Barça already struggling to regain their form, to make matters worse, Lamine Yamal’s injury adds up a new challenge. Lamine Yamal has been exceptionally key for the club this season, bagging 18 G/A in 21 games. He is also the 2nd top assist provider this season in Europe’s top 5 league, just one behind Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka . Lamine was also awarded as La Liga’s Player of the month in September and was regularly making difference for Barça on the pitch. His injury raises more questions on how will Barça cope without him.
Will Ronald Araújo be back?
Araújo’s comeback has been postponed longer than expected. The Uruguayan’s return was scheduled against Leganes, but things didn’t go as planned and wasn’t called even from the bench. With Barça suffering from some defensive mishaps, is it the right time to think about Araújo being back to starting ways?
In my opinion, Araújo should not start the game against Atlético, and Flick should stick to his back four of Balde, Iñigo, Cubarsí, and Koundé. Despite few defensive spores, I still think if Barça go into the game with a strong mentality, they could give Atlético a tough time.
To bring Araújo back to the starting lineup, he should get some minutes from the bench so he could regain the momentum and confidence. Hence, this could be a plus point for Iñigo and Cubarsí who deserve rest.
Crafting the Perfect Comeback Plan
The main question which arises to this game is “What lineup will Flick choose?” In my opinion, Flick does not have many options and won’t change the squad too much. He will only be replacing the injuries suffered from the last game.
Barça should keep an eye on Atlético’s key players this season, with the likes of Alvarez, Griezmann, Llorente, and Samuel Lino. Lino and Llorente would be key in breaking Barça’s offside trap. Both of these players play in the wide positions and are quite dangerous with runs in between. For Griezmann and Alvarez, there is no doubt about quality these two bring to the field, Iñigo and Cubarsí should not give them even an inch of breathing space
For me the the lineup Flick should choose is the following:
With Barça going for a more counter-attacking approach, as Atleti are quite strong defensively.