It’s make or break for Atlético on Wednesday evening, with comeback the only option against an in-form Barcelona side.
The colchoneros need to overturn last week’s 1-0 defeat in the Calderón, or face crashing out of the Copa del Rey at the quarter-final stage. Kick-off in the Spanish capital is set for 21:00 CET.
Ten days on from our league defeat, Atlético return to the Camp Nou on Wednesday looking for revenge against a rejuvenated Barcelona side.
Having knocked out Real Madrid, many see ourselves and the Blaugrana as favourites to win the Copa del Rey, but only one can make it to the semi-final.
Believe, for this is real. Atlético Madrid are the crowned champions of Spain, having toppled super-powers Real Madrid and Barcelona over the course of a 38-game season. With the mantra of “one match at a time”, Diego Simeone’s men have achieved the unimaginable.
Los Rojiblancos have one more chance to secure the elusive league title in their last stand against Barcelona on Saturday. The title-deciding clash of the season is set to kick-off at 18:00 CET, and Atleti need either a tie or a win to hoist the Primera División trophy for the first time since 1996.
For those of you Colchoneros still alive to read this, let’s revisit Atlético’s agonising 1-1 tie versus Málaga. How close were Diego Simeone’s men from achieving eternal glory on Sunday? A Willy Caballero fingernail close.
Ups…and downs. They are a part of life and, more importantly, they are a part of being an Atlético fan. Los Rojiblancos were riding a tidal wave of momentum heading into their encounter at the Ciutat de València on Sunday, but they were abruptly stymied by an early mishap, some outrageous goalkeeping by Keylor Navas and a suspiciously motivated home side, eventually falling by a score of 2-0.
With Barcelona surprisingly beaten at Granada the previous evening, Atlético took the chance to go three points clear at the top of La Liga on Sunday with a deserved win at local rivals Getafe.
Four times this season, current La Liga leaders Atlético Madrid have taken on reigning champions and title chasers Barcelona, and four times, nothing has separated them. The Rojiblancos’ backline has cancelled out the Catalan’s attacking talent on each occasion they have met so far, although in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg, something has to give. Kick-off in the Spanish capital is set for 20:45 CET.
Score, and hang on for dear life! This has apparently been Atlético’s game plan in their last three home games, all of which they have won by the same 1-0 margin. After getting off to a great start against Villarreal on Saturday, opening up the scoring within the first 15 minutes of action, los Rojiblancos spent most of their time warding off the Yellow Submarine.
For years, Atlético watched on as Real Madrid and Barcelona battled for the top positions in Spain and Europe. This season however, things have changed. They’re the top two in La Liga with a last day showdown still to come next month, contested the Super Cup back in August, and now los Rojiblancos and los Blaugrana are preparing to face each other in a Champions League clash that could go a long way towards deciding who comes out on top between the two this year.