Atletico Madrid – Barcelona

Atletico don’t look favourites against Barcelona due to fatigue

In the centre match of the 29th round of La Liga, Atletico will take on Barcelona at home. From the tournament point of view, the clubs have different objectives. Barcelona still have a dream of winning the league title, but Atletico could really fall out of the top four. Diego Simeone's men played a heroic match against Inter in the Champions League. The Madrid side pulled off a big surprise, defeating an invincible opponent in a penalty shootout. Griezmann's return was triumphant, Depay showed his best football for many years, Jan Oblak shone, deflecting two spot-kicks. It was heroic football from Atletico. At the same time, there is an obvious disadvantage - fatigue. There are only four days between the matches, and Atletico were not all ready for one hundred per cent. Griezmann and Koke are likely to miss the meeting with Barcelona. Simeone claimed after the match that the players simply do not have the strength and there are serious health issues. It is possible that Morata will be saved for the Champions League. 120 minutes and an emotional victory took all the energy from many players. Simeone may well sacrifice the next match, giving the reserves a chance. Barcelona also had a battle in the Champions League this week, but, firstly, the meeting with Napoli was held with total advantage of the Catalans, and secondly, Xavi's wards had an extra day off in comparison with the opponent. In other words, Barcelona spent less emotional energy and won the game without unnecessary nerves. Xavi surprisingly managed to find a way out of the difficult situation with injuries to two key midfielders de Jong and Pedri. Lopez and Christensen now come out in the centre of the pitch. It is clear that their play is far from ideal, but it was enough at the level of the Champions League play-offs. An added bonus is Joao Feliz. The Portuguese did not feature in the starting line-up at Napoli. It is likely that Xavi will let the Portuguese play against his former team. Feliz has a principled attitude towards Atletico. In the first round, it was the Portuguese's magnificent goal that was the decisive factor. Bookmakers still give Atletico as the favourite, and even with a large margin. Only the stadium gives the hosts a special advantage, but it is impossible to play two matches on emotions alone. Atletico have not had a stable game for months; the squad will be seriously different from the Champions League match. The issue of stamina is also important. It is doubtful that Atletico will be able to press effectively in their own half of the pitch. Barcelona's motivation for the championship looks higher. The hosts will be able to correct the situation in the next rounds. It is not excluded that the grands will not take risks and agree to a draw.