Barcelona, Spain — Atletico Madrid must bounce back swiftly after their grueling Champions League elimination at the hands of Real Madrid. The La Liga race is tense, and Atletico faces Barcelona on Sunday in what is another pivotal clash in the pursuit of the Spanish league crown. Atletico currently trails both Barcelona and Real Madrid by a single point, though Barcelona has a game in hand. Thus, Diego Simeone’s squad cannot dwell on their recent setback and will need to rebound quickly following the excruciating loss to their city rivals earlier this week.
In that Champions League encounter, Atletico was edged out in a dramatic penalty shootout. Julian Álvarez’s goal was annulled after video review confirmed dual contact with the ball during his attempt, as his footing slipped and he inadvertently nudged the ball before scoring. “It’s incredibly hard to stomach the manner in which we exited the tournament,” Simeone confessed post-match.
Adding to the challenge, Barcelona enters Sunday’s match with a potential edge. After defeating Benfica on Tuesday to make it to the Champions League quarterfinals, they benefited from an extra day of rest compared to Atletico. “We face an excellent opponent come Sunday. I’m sure Barcelona’s players were keen for our game to stretch to penalties,” Simeone noted. “We’ll come into the fixture fatigued and worn, having expended ourselves entirely, but we’ll give Barcelona everything we’ve got left in the tank.”
Atletico has performed commendably against Barcelona this season, having already bested them twice. A late strike secured a 2-1 triumph in a previous league meeting, and they achieved a remarkable 4-4 draw during the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal. Notably, since their setback against Atletico in December, Barcelona has remained unbeaten across 17 consecutive matches in various competitions. Yet, they will again face Atletico when they host them in their Copa del Rey semifinal in the coming month.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, confronts their own challenge as they prepare to travel to fifth-placed Villarreal on Saturday. Unlike Madrid, Villarreal has enjoyed a full week of recovery since their last match. “We are going to have to make an extra effort given we haven’t had sufficient recovery time,” head coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed on Friday. “Smart play will be vital for us.”
