Atletico Madrid Form
Before the international break, the club lost the away Madrid derby against Real Madrid (2:3). Although Atletico opened the scoring and were in front at half-time, they could not even salvage a draw by the end of the match. The defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu was their first in five La Liga games, having previously won four in a row in this competition. As a result, the club have dropped out of the top three again in the La Liga standings, sitting fourth and one point behind Villarreal. It is worth noting that in home matches this La Liga season Atletico have collected 40 points from a possible 45, with only Barcelona better by this metric (45).
- The hosts have scored in 31 of their previous 32 home matches in the Spanish league.
- The club's uncompromising home run in this competition has lasted 14 games (13 wins, 1 defeat).
- Atletico have won with a (+1.5) handicap in five La Liga matches in a row.
Potential Atletico Madrid Lineup (4-4-2)*
Juan Musso – Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand, David Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri – Johnny Cardoso, Koke, Giuliano Simeone, Ademola Lookman – Julian Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann.
Midfielders Marcos Llorente and Johnny Cardoso are suspended. Midfielders Pablo Barrios and Rodrigo Mendoza are not ready for the match due to injuries. The involvement of goalkeeper Jan Oblak and defender Marc Pubill is in doubt.
Barcelona Form
In the previous round, Barcelona edged past Rayo Vallecano (1:0). The club therefore extended their winning run in La Liga to five matches. However, it is worth noting that four of those five games were played at Camp Nou, and in front of their own fans Barcelona have not dropped a single point since the start of the season. Away from home in 2026, the team have alternated between wins and defeats. Still, overall, from 14 away matches in the current La Liga campaign, Barcelona have collected 28 points—only Real Madrid have more (30). In the table, Barcelona remain top with a four-point lead.
- The team have scored in 49 consecutive Spanish league matches.
- Barcelona's uncompromising run in La Liga has continued for 26 matches (22 wins, 4 defeats).
- This La Liga season, Barcelona have scored 78 goals—by some distance the best record in the competition.
Potential Barcelona Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Joan Garcia – Joao Cancelo, Pau Cubarsi, Ronald Araujo, Gerard Martin – Pedri, Marc Bernal – Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Fermin Lopez – Robert Lewandowski.
Defender Andreas Christensen, midfielder Frenkie de Jong and forward Raphinha will miss out through injury. The participation of defenders Jules Kounde and Alex Balde is in doubt.
Match Officials
Mateo Busquets (Spain)
Matches officiated – 13 (La Liga, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 64;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.9;
Red cards shown – 4;
Fouls per match on average – 23;
Penalties – 23%.
* For each team, the starting line-up from their last match in this competition is shown.
