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In one of the most anticipated fixtures since the resumption of La Liga football in Spain, Barcelona welcome Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in what might prove to be a title-decider for this season.
The Catalans narrowly escaped a defeat at Celta Vigo last time out as the game ended in a 2-2 draw, handing Real Madrid, who go up against RCD Espanyol later tonight, the advantage in the title race.
Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid find themselves third in the standings, the leading duo of Real Madrid and Barcelona, thanks to an uptick in their Liga form in recent games. They head into the match against Barcelona on the back of a four-game winning streak, having scored nine goals in that period without conceding.
When the COVID-19 interrupted the 2019-20 La Liga campaign in March, Barcelona were leading the title race against Real Madrid with a one-point lead.
Five games from the close of the season, Barcelona hold a narrow one-point lead over Los Blancos, having played a game more than the capital club.
Barcelona have faltered in key fixtures since the La Liga restart, playing out draws against Sevilla and Celta Vigo. In that respect, their home game against Los Colchoneros will be the biggest test of their physical and mental resolve yet, which assumes even greater importance given that failure to win three points can mean Real Madrid potentially galloping ahead by five points.
Zinedine Zidane's men have won all their games since the La Liga restart and have stepped up in crucial fixtures, something Barcelona have failed to do. Thus when Atletico Madrid arrive at the Camp Nou, nothing but a win will keep Barcelona alive in the title race as they look for a hat-trick of La Liga titles.
So, with the stage set for this blockbuster clash between the second-placed and third-placed side in the Spanish top-flight, we look at the five talking points ahead of this fixture.
5 key pre-match talking points as Barcelona prepare to take on Atletico Madrid:
#5: Lionel Messi's search for his landmark 700th goal
Lionel Messi is no stranger to breaking records and reaching landmarks, thanks to his incredible goal-scoring prowess. This season too, he's chasing a couple of such records, one of which is within touching distance for the left-footed maestro.
Having reached 699 career goals during this campaign, Lionel Messi has drawn a blank in the last three fixtures for Barcelona, though he has been involved in goals, having recently crossed the 250-mark in assists for the club.
Can the 33-year-old deliver a clutch performance in this high-stakes fixture and find the back of the net? His landmark 700th goal would become even more special if Barcelona manage to remain in the title race.
#4: Barcelona's front-three faces a tough task against Atletico Madrid's stubborn defence
Diego Simeone is known to run a tight ship in defence. Athough Atletico Madrid have come up short on a couple of occasions this season, their No.1 Jan Oblak has been a wall in front of the goal as usual.
Barcelona have been uncharacteristically wasteful in front of goal since the La Liga restart and have relied heavily on Lionel Messi's brilliance to bail them out from sticky situations.
Former Atletico Madrid star Antoine Greizmann is yet to find the back of the net after the restart, despite making three starts, while February signing Martin Braithwaite has been equally out of touch since scoring against Mallorca.
In their last three games, Barcelona's shots on target to total shots ratio has been on a decline, having fired on target twice in 19 attempts against Celta.
Such a poor conversion ratio could prove costly against Atletico side who doesn't allow the opposition too much freedom in the final third.
#3: Koke and Stefan Savic's suspension is a matter of concern for Diego Simeone
When the La Liga returned, there was a concern over the fitness of players due to the crammed schedule, and it was expected that managers would likely keep their top players well rested for crucial fixtures. But there's no strategy of keeping the players off the books.
Simeone has done a great job of rotating his players between fixtures, but an accumulation of yellow cards is something he cannot control. As a result, he is without the services of midfielder Koke and defender Stefan Savic for this crucial fixture against Barcelona.
Both the players have started in all games except Atletico's 1-0 home win over Real Valladolid and have been key to the club since the La Liga restart. Savic has been especially brilliant in defence and has formed a strong partnership with Jose Gimenez.
Atletico will be at a disadvantage without these two experienced players in the starting XI, but if Simeone starts the right players in their places, he can manage to overcome this problem.
In defence, Real Madrid academy product Mario Hermoso can start while the tough-tackling Thomas Partey can take Koke's place.
#2: Quique Setién's dilemma on finding the right partner for Messi and Suarez upfront
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez linked up devastatingly against Celta Vigo in Barcelona's previous La fixture, with Messi assisting Suarez's both goals in that match.
So, it seems that the duo will retain their places in Quique Setién's squad for the match against Atletico Madrid. But the million-dollar question is who will be the third man in Barcrlona's three-man attack?
Apart from Messi and Suarez, all the other Barcelona attackers like Ansu Fati, Martin Braithwaite and Antoine Greizmann have struggled to make an impact.
At 17, it is natural that Barcelonaa are not putting too much pressure on Fati's young shoulders, and in his defence he has provided a much-needed width yo the side on the left flank. But Greizmann and Braithwaite have been underwhelming. They complement neither Messi nor Suarez's style and add very little to the Barcelona attack on their own.
So, in a game where every player needs to be giving more than 100% on the pitch as the La Liga title is at stake, Barcelona need to select the right third attacker to support Messi and Suarez.
#1: Barcelona face the ultimate test on their ability to deliver in big games
Barcelona have been heavily criticised for their inability to overcome nerves in big games. The criticism is not misdirected, as Barcelona have been really poor in knockout competitions in the last few seasons. With the remainder of the 2019-20 La Liga season assuming a psuedo-knockout feel for Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Catalan club need to overcome a familiar problem.
If we take a look at Barcelona's results in big games in recent times, their 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg particularly stands out. Just weeks after this crushing defeat, Barcelona came up short against Valencia in the 2019 Copa Del Rey final.
This season, Barcelona crashed out of the same competition in the quarterfinals against Athletic Club and were defeated by Real Madrid in the El Clasico in early March.
The stakes are now higher than ever before for Barcelona in the most intense La Liga title race in years. Having played out draws against Sevilla and Celta Vigo, the clash against Atletico Madrid will be a huge test of Barcelona's ability to step up in big games. Will they turn on a new leaf by rising to the occasion or will their big-game woes continue?
Also Read: Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid: 5 key battles that could determine Barcelona's fortunes in crucial title-decider | La Liga 2019-20
