Madrid, April 1 (IANS) Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona face off in the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg at the Metropolitano Stadium, aiming for a spot in the grand final on April 26.
The first leg between them ended 4-4 after an incredible match in Montjuic, where Atletico led 2-0, before Barca completely overturned the tables and looked to be cruising 4-2, only for Atletico to score two late goals.
The two teams met in La Liga in Atletico’s Metropolitano Stadium three weeks ago, with Atletico leading again thanks to goals from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth, before an incredible Barca fightback gave Hansi Flick’s side a 4-2 win.
That defeat, coupled with a draw last weekend, means Atletico is effectively out of the race for the La Liga title and after its painful UEFA Champions League exit to Real Madrid, the Copa del Rey is its only hope of silverware this season.
It has been non-stop for Barcelona following the international break, with a home game against Osasuna last Thursday, followed by another match against Girona on Sunday, meaning Wednesday’s game will be the club’s third in just seven days and Flick has tried to juggle his squad accordingly, reports Xinhua.
Raphinha hasn’t played since returning from playing with Brazil, while Frenkie de Jong was a second-half substitute against Girona and both will start on Wednesday, along with Alejandro Balde, who was also rested at the weekend.
Pau Cubarsi should also be fit after recovering from the ankle problem he picked up on Spain duty and will probably partner Inigo Martinez in central defense.
Although Atletico has conceded eight goals in the last two meetings with Barca, Diego Simeone’s side has been one of the few teams to get some joy against Barcelona’s high defensive line and offside trap.
Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann will probably start, along with Samuel Lino and Marcos Llorente, with Alvarez scoring in the last two games against Barca, while Sorloth has hit the target in all three of Atletico’s meetings with the Catalans this campaign, including the 2-1 win in Montjuic in La Liga just before Christmas.
All three games between the two sides this season have seen vital goals scored in injury time, which implies Wednesday’s game will also go the distance and extra time is a very real prospect.
–IANS
bc/ab
