Atletico Madrid are looking to recreate fond memories at Montjuic against Barcelona, following Diego Simeone’s first ever league triumph over the Blaugrana in Catalonia in December. The Copa del Rey semi-final first leg kicks off at 21:30 CEST, in what is predicted to be a tight encounter.
Hansi Flick is the manager with more doubts about how to approach the match, confirming that he would assess the qualities that were necessary against Atletico Madrid to solve his midfield dilemmas. Andreas Christensen, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Bernal are all injured, but the question is whether Lamine Yamal will be fit enough to start after missing training on Monday.
Breaking: Everything indicates that Lamine Yamal will not only be included in the squad to face Atlético Madrid, but he’s also expected to start. @MCTorresA
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 25, 2025
Most do expect him to start though, as is the case for MD. Inigo Martinez is expected to anchor the backline, but the big decisions are in midfield, where Gavi and Frenkie de Jong will get the nod over Marc Casado and Dani Olmo. That prediction is shared by Sport, although they do predict a surprise in the backline too, with Ronald Araujo appearing in their line-up ahead of Pau Cubarsi.
Diego Simeone confirmed that he would be without Cesar Azpilicueta through injury, and that Juan Musso would continue in goal in place of Jan Oblak in the Copa fixtures. Koke Resurreccion is the only other player missing, and Pablo Barrios is back from suspension to join Rodrigo de Paul in midfield.
🚨 Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona is the second most-played official match in Spanish football history (246), only behind El Clásico (259).
47 of these matches have been in the Copa del Rey, with 22 wins for Barça, 16 for Atleti, and 9 draws.@OptaJose pic.twitter.com/RsLKJLoPIR
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) February 25, 2025
It seems there is little doubt over Simeone’s intentions, with Marcos Llorente to return to right-back, and Samuel Lino playing on the left. MD do have Clement Lenglet in ahead of Javi Galan on the left side of defence, but both Jose Gimenez and Robin Le Normand are tipped to start as well. Alexander Sorloth, Barcelona’s downfall in the first meeting between these two, will again be an impact substitute for Simeone, as will Conor Gallagher.
