Barcelona will resume their Champions League title defense against their La Liga competitors Atlético Madrid on Tuesday. Luis Enrique's side head into the first leg of the quarterfinal tie still smarting from their El Clásico defeat on the weekend, while Atléti head into the tie on the back of a thumping 5-1 victory over Real Betis. They'll certainly be confident of pulling off an upset.
Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid 2016: Time, TV schedule and team news for Champions League
Barcelona take on Atlético Madrid in an all-La Liga Champions League quarterfinal.
However, one game doesn’t change the fact that Barça are still the most terrifying force in world football at the moment, with an attack several orders of magnitude scarier than anyone else’s. They remain the favorites for the tie -- and indeed to win the entire tournament itself -- and Atléti would have to pull off a flawless backs-to-the-wall performance if they’re to stand a chance of making it through.
Key factor: The clash of styles
That said, there are few teams better at defensive organization than Diego Simeone's. If anyone's going to be able to stop Barça slicing straight through them, it's Atléti. Their incredibly compact off-the-ball shape makes them extremely hard to penetrate, even when you've got Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez forming your attacking trio. Seeing how Barça's contrasting possession game matches up will be fascinating from a tactical perspective.
Recent history
For all of their recent success, Atléti have actually been pretty lousy whenever they've faced Barça. The Catalans have won six straight matches against Simeone's side, and not since they met at this stage of the Champions League two years ago (when Atléti would go on to be beaten in the final by cross-town rivals Real Madrid) have the Madrilenian side come away with a victory.
Barcelona injuries and suspensions
Out: Rafinha (knee). In doubt: None.
Atlético Madrid injuries and suspensions
Out: Lucas Hernández (back); Tiago (leg). In doubt: Diego Godín, José María Giménez (hamstring); Saúl Ñiguez, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (ankle).
Barça’s only certain absentee is midfielder Rafinha, who sustained an ACL injury back in September. Atléti are faring considerably worse on the injury front: they’re certainly without young defender Hernández and veteran midfielder Tiago, while several important first-teamers, including center-back pairing Godín and Giménez, all face late fitness tests.
Match date/time: Tues., 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
TV: FOX Sports 1 (US - English); FOX Deportes (US - Spanish); TSN4 (Canada); BT Sport Europe (UK)
Online: FOX Sports GO, FOX Soccer 2GO (US); BT Sport live streaming (UK)
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