Barcelona host Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie in the Champions League 2015/16. The Catalans will be hoping to bounce back from their defeat to Real Madrid on Saturday. Atletico are in fine form but are missing some key players in defence but as always Simeone’s side will be hard to break down.
Barcelona Squad
Ter Stegen, Bravo
Alves, Piqué, Mascherano, Vermaelen, Bartra, Alba
Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta, Turan, S.Roberto, Rafinha
Messi, Suárez, Neymar, Munir
Injured- Vidal, Mathieu, Adriano, Sandro
Expected starting lineup and Formation
Diego Simeone said,“We are preparing for a difficult game, tough and competitive, against the best Barça possible, but we will do all in our power to reduce their chances.”
Luis Enrique said,”We will not change our style of play. We want to control the ball on their side of the field and ensure the fewest number of transitions to prevent counterattacks.”
Atletico will sit back much more than Real did but will offer much less space for Barca to play with. The front three of Barcelona probably for the first time this season collectively failed against Real and they need to find their best form against the stubborn and well-drilled Atletico defence.
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