Barcelona dismantled Benfica in the second leg to advance into the next round of the Champions League. They will face Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-final but that fixture is far away. They will now turn their focus towards Atletico Madrid in the La Liga this weekend.
Hansi Flick’s side are sitting on the top of the domestic points table and wouldn’t want to drop even a single point. Though the points are level, they still have a game advantage. As Sunday’s fixture is in the away form, it will be tough 90 minutes for sure!
4-3-2-1 Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs Atletico Madrid
Defence
Barcelona remains unbeaten with Wojciech Szczesny at the goal line and the veteran is supposed to start once again. Jules Kounde enjoyed a great time against Benfica and should be deployed as the right-back once again.
Ronald Araujo could be retained at the heart of the defence with Pau Cubarsi coming in at the expense of Inigo Martinez. It’s not even a debate about who is starting as the left-back, it’s obviously Alejandro Balde.
Midfield
Frenkie de Jong is likely to get the nod ahead of Marc Casado once again. The Dutchman has been doing exceptional work alongside Pedri in the middle of the park.
Attack
Lamine Yamal is starting on the right wing with Raphinha running down the flank on the other side. Dani Olmo should be started as the attacking midfielder, keeping Gavi on the bench.
Though Robert Lewandowski’s form has dried up recently, he remains the prime choice for the striker role. Ferran Torres as a number nine is unreliable, especially against big sides.
Marc Bernal and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are unavailable due to injuries while Andreas Christensen has regained full fitness and could be back into the squad.
