A stuttering Barcelona will look to maintain their slim lead over La Liga rivals Atlético Madrid when they face off in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday. Luis Enrique's side came from behind to win the first leg 2-1, though Atléti's away goal will certainly give Diego Simeone's men hope of eliminating the defending champions at this relatively early stage of the competition.
Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid 2016: Time, TV schedule and team news for Champions League
A first leg away goal gives Atlético Madrid reason for optimism heading into their encounter with Barcelona on Wednesday.
They'll also take great heart from the fact that Barça have, by their own standards, been in some pretty poor form of late. The Catalan giants have won only one of their last four matches in all competitions, and head into this match on the back of a shock defeat to Real Sociedad. Their recent run has shown that they're certainly not invincible, and the in-form Atléti will look to take full advantage of their current fragility.
Key question: Will Barça’s attack deliver?
Don't be fooled by Barcelona's recent form: they've still got what is, on paper, the strongest domestic team on the planet. In Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar, they have an attack that is the envy of world football, and they're all capable of changing a game with a singular moment of brilliance. If they turn up on Wednesday, this could be a surprisingly comfortable match for the Catalans.
Key matchup: Atléti’s counter-attack vs. Barça’s defense
Though we have no idea how this game is going to turn out, we can predict with some confidence that it’ll be won and lost in Atléti’s transition between defense and attack. There are few finer teams on the planet on the counter-attack than Simeone’s side, and Barcelona’s defence is notoriously vulnerable against such opposition. If the hosts can nail their transitions, they’ll probably win the tie.
Atlético Madrid injuries and suspensions
Out: Tiago (broken leg); Fernando Torres (suspended). In doubt: Stefan Savić (unspecified muscle injury); José Giménez (hamstring).
Barcelona injuries and suspensions
Out: Jérémy Mathieu (knee); Aleix Vidal (abductor); Sandro Ramírez (hamstring); Rafinha (hamstring); Thomas Vermaelen (calf). In doubt: None.
Benfica will be without goalkeeper Júlio César and young winger Nuno Santos through injury, while prolific striker Jonas will be sorely missed with a suspension. However, they’ll hope to have Argentine attacker Gaitán back after a muscular injury.
Bayern will still be without defenders Boateng and Bastuber, but there’s hope winger Robben and center back Benatia could recover from their respective injuries to make Guardiola’s squad.
Match date/time: Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain
TV: FOX Sports 1 (US - English); ESPN Deportes (US - Spanish); TSN, RDS (Canada); BT Sport Europe (UK)
Online: FOX Sports GO, FOX Soccer 2Go, Watch ESPN (US); TSN live streaming (Canada); BT Sport live streaming (UK)
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