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#2 The immovable defense of Atletico against the irresistible attack of Barcelona
Atletico Madrid is the best defensive side in the league so far. They have conceded only 8 goals this season in LaLiga. They have a giant keeper in Jan Oblak. They also have a great-center back partnership in Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin. Filipe Luis and Juanfran are good as full backs, although Juanfran is a bit out of touch as of late.
FC Barcelona is a rampant attacking team. They have scored 34 goals this season in LaLiga so far, which is at least 10 more than any other team. Sevilla is second in terms of scoring, with 24 goals. Barcelona is capable of breaching the defensive barriers of any team but Atletico is different. Last season at Camp Nou, Barcelona had to defend Messi's free-kick goal to win. At Wanda, they toiled for 82 minutes before Suarez somehow got the goal.
But Barcelona played very well at Wanda last year and was unlucky in a sense to walk away without a win. There are several match-ups which are a decisive factor in the game. Dembele and Jordi Alba against Juanfran is the main talking point. Juanfran has been slow in backtracking as of late which will prove costly against a pace master like Jordi Alba. The other wing battle is one of the most competitive ones.
Messi against Filipe Luis, a David and Goliath battle, but only in terms of size and not skill. Filipe Luis is a very stubborn defender, allowing nobody to get past him. He is strong and easily pushes his opponent off the ball. Lionel Messi is just as adamant. He turns away so quickly from challenges that sometimes strength alone couldn't stop him. Last season at Camp Nou, he made Filipe Luis run for his money, keeping the ball with him and avoiding the pressure before turning into the open field.
The center of the field is an all Uruguayan affair. Godin and Gimenez against Luis Suarez. Another mouth-watering matchup. Atletico's barrier is not unbreakable as Dortmund found out at Westfalenstadion. But Wanda is a different place and Saturday is a different day as well. Who comes out on top, the irresistible force or the immovable object.
