Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

Barcelona will host defending La Liga champions Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou on Sunday, and a big result against one of the top contenders could go a long way to quelling the controversy surrounding the Blaugrana in the wake of the loss against Real Sociedad.

The Copa del Rey thrashing of Elche took place in front of a small home crowd, who gave manager Luis Enrique a hard time throughout the match and will demand another strong showing on Sunday.

The Atleti are coming off a big 2-0 win over city rivals Real Madrid and will look to continue that momentum against the Catalans, and they will be hoping to take advantage of the turmoil and move into second place in the La Liga standings.

Date: Sunday, January 11

Time: 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET

Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona

TV info and live stream: the match will be broadcast on Sky Sports 5 (for UK viewers) and beIN Sports USA (for US viewers), with mobile coverage available via the Sky Go app and BeIN Sports Connect.

Preview

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

The current controversy engulfing the Blaugrana needs little explanation. Reports of a series of incidents between star forward Lionel Messi and Enrique surfaced after the team's loss against Real Sociedad, and via AS English, Neymar became the latest person close to the situation to deny anything is going on:

The 5-0 thrashing of Elche in midweek somewhat silenced the critics who came out in force after the debacle at the Anoeta, and now more than ever, the Catalans need a big win over a direct rival.

Atletico present the perfect opportunity; tied with Barcelona on points for second in the La Liga standings and just one point behind leaders Real Madrid, who have a match in hand.

The visitors have started 2015 on fire with a strong showing against Levante and an emotional win over Los Blancos, powered by the excellent play of winger Antoine Griezmann. The France international didn't find the net in the Copa tie, but as shared by Squawka Football, he was simply outstanding in the matches prior:

A head-to-head with Dani Alves, who still isn't back to 100 percent after a spell on the sidelines with an injury, should be music to the ears of Diego Simeone. The Argentinian manager is a master of finding an opponent's key weakness, and Griezmann's excellent form has given him the perfect weapon.

Regardless of Atletico's strengths, Barcelona need to come out as a unit and put the past week behind them. Enrique has so far done a good job of letting the criticism slide off him, and he told reporters the fans' booing doesn't bother him, per Goal:

To have any chance of cracking the defending champions' vaunted defence, Messi will also have to get past the incidents and focus on the match. He could set another personal milestone if he sees the pitch on Sunday, via BarcaStat:

Barcelona lacked any semblance of creativity and urgency at the Anoeta, but their performance against Elche was much improved in both departments. Atletico will undoubtedly frustrate them, but unless the rift between Enrique and his players runs deeper than we know, it's hard to fathom the Catalans switching off for the second time in one week.

The Atleti aren't Elche, however, and they boast enough quality of their own to beat any team, whether they're in-form or not. With momentum in their corner, don't rule out the visitors.

Final prediction: Barcelona 1-1 Atletico Madrid

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