📰 Table Of Contents
Atletico Madrid v Barcelona match preview
Diego Simeone and Carlo Ancelotti might not agree, but neutrals will be hoping Atletico Madrid and Barcelona continue where they left off when the sides meet for a place in the Copa del Rey final following an epic in the first leg of their final-four tie on February 25.
The Spanish heavyweights traded two goals each inside the first 22 minutes at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, where Inigo Martinez and Robert Lewandowski put Barca 4-2 up before an 84th-minute Marcos Llorente reply and Alexander Sorloth’s 93rd-minute equaliser ensured the game finished 4-4.
“We are in great form at the moment and we are creating a lot of chances when we have the ball,” Blaugranes manager Hansi Flick said after the 4-1 home win over Girona on Sunday, moving the victors three points clear of Real Madrid and six above Atleti at the top of LaLiga with the help of two Lewandowski strikes within 17 second-half minutes.
“The great thing about my team is that we always want to score goals and everyone likes to see that. Lewandowski is really important. I don’t like to pick out individuals but he is special inside the box.”
Numbers stay speaking#BarçaGirona | #LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/2oGgFZKsjo
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 1, 2025
Barca’s remarkable total of 82 goals after 29 league games is 35 more than Atleti have bagged, and the 10-time Copa del Rey winners’ title challenge is in serious jeopardy after a run of one point from three games.
Juavi Puado’s penalty denied Atleti victory at relegation-threatened Espanyol on Saturday in a match they badly needed to win following a 2-1 defeat at Getafe and a 4-2 loss at home to Barcelona.
Those results mean the Copa del Rey represents by far their best chance of a trophy this season and the form of forward Julian Alvarez, who is the competition top scorer as part of a debut season featuring 23 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions so far, will enhance their optimism.
Atleti will also take encouragement from their status as the last team to beat Barcelona in any competition, Sorloth’s 96th-minute winner in a 2-1 comeback win on December 21 giving them a first victory in the fixture as the away team since February 2006 and ending Simeone’s 17-match winless run against their opponents.
🎙️ About Atleti vs FC Barcelona 👇 pic.twitter.com/Q2Ch1A4eLg
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) March 31, 2025
Atletico Madrid v Barca team news
Flick is likely to restore several players who were rested from his starting line-up against Girona, meaning potential starts in defence for Pau Cubarsi and Alejandro Balde.
Midfielder Frenkie de Jong came on as a substitute and forward Raphinha was not used from the bench following his return from international duty with Brazil.
Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been back in training following a serious knee injury and midfielder Dani Olmo is expected to return by the end of April from an adductor injury.
Lewy in killer mode#BarçaGirona | #LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/JkWzoRYtgL
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 1, 2025
Robin Le Normand is likely to be replaced by Jose Maria Gimenez at centre-back for Atleti after being substituted against Espanyol with a head injury.
Changes could be afoot in midfield, where Rodrigo De Paul started the first leg but was on the bench against Espanyol, and Alvarez is likely to return in attack, having initially been rested on Saturday following his return from Argentina action.
Atleti v Barcelona expected line-ups
Atletico Madrid starting XI: Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Javi Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Samuel Lino; Griezmann, Alvarez.
Barcelona starting XI: Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Lewandowski
How to watch Atleti v Barca: Live stream, TV channel
The match starts at 20:30 on Wednesday and is being shown live on Premier Sports 1, with streaming available on a vast range of devices via the Premier Sports app.
A Premier Sports subscription costs £120 a year, £11.99 per month on a 12-month contract or £15.99 per month with 30 days’ cancellation notice required.
Ready for Wednesday’s game 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ySYPDhuIB9
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) March 31, 2025
Atletico Madrid v Barcelona stats
- In 13 of the last 15 Atletico Madrid home matches in the Copa del Rey, the sum of goals was over 2.5
- Atletico Madrid have lost the last 4 matches in a row and the sum of goals was over 2.5
- In 6 of the last 7 Atletico Madrid matches the sum of goals was over 2.5
- In the last 3 Atletico Madrid matches in the Copa del Rey, the sum of goals was over 3.5
- In the last 3 Atletico Madrid matches in the Copa del Rey, the sum of goals was over 2.5
- In 14 of the last 16 Barcelona matches in the Copa del Rey, the sum of goals was over 2.5
- In the last 8 Barcelona matches in the Copa del Rey, the sum of goals was over 3.5
- In 12 of the last 14 Barcelona away matches in the Copa del Rey, the sum of goals was over 2.5
- In 8 of the last 9 Barcelona away matches in the Copa del Rey, the sum of goals was over 3.5
- Barcelona have won 9 of the last 11 away matches while scoring more than 1.5 goals
Atletico Madrid v Barca prediction
The return of Alvarez and the potential temptation to go for broke in the context of their season means Atleti should be supercharged in terms of motivation to end Barca’s 20-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
A total of 17 goals and comebacks each time in the three editions of this fixture so far in 2024/25 make predicting the return leg tricky, but Barcelona’s far superior form and strong record at Atleti suggests a narrow win for the LaLiga leaders, perhaps by the only goal or even via extra time and penalties.
Barca’s win on March 16 was their third in a row at the Metropolitano, having kept clean sheets on both of their two previous visits.
