Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona: Issues, Decisions to Shape Copa Del Rey Game
Atletico Madrid will welcome Barcelona to the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday for the second leg of their quarter-final clash in the Copa del Rey.
Courtesy of a controversial penalty won by Sergio Busquets in the first leg at the Camp Nou, the Catalans carry a 1-0 lead to the Spanish capital for their second meeting and will be buoyed by Atletico's inability to grab an away goal last week.
For Luis Enrique's men, it was a second successive victory over Los Colchoneros after their 3-1 win at home in La Liga earlier this month.
But returning to the Calderon will be a boost for Atleti, who have consistently proven they're incredibly difficult to beat on their own turf.
Across the following slides, we examine the key issues and decisions that will shape Wednesday's clash.
Diego Godin's Suspension
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After earning a yellow card for a foul on Barcelona's Lionel Messi in the first leg at the Camp Nou, Atletico Madrid centre-back Diego Godin will be missing for the second leg at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday.
Quite possibly the finest central defender in Europe right now, the Uruguayan's absence is a major blow for manager Diego Simeone, who will have to reshuffle his back four.
Most likely to step in for Godin is compatriot Jose Gimenez, who has enjoyed a breakout season at Atletico and partnered Godin during Miranda's absence through injury.
But although Gimenez has been outstanding at times, he showed in the 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in La Liga that he still isn't the finished product as he looked unsure against the Catalans and was caught out of position a number of times.
He can't afford a repeat of that performance on Wednesday.
Will Luis Enrique Maintain Recent Consistency with His Lineup?
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After a long period of consistent tinkering and fiddling with his lineup, Luis Enrique appears to have settled on his preferred XI in recent weeks.
After the 3-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in La Liga, the Barcelona manager opted for the same XI the following weekend in the 4-0 win at Deportivo La Coruna and only changed the goalkeeper in that setup for the Copa del Rey first-leg clash with Atletico Madrid last week.
Consequently, Barcelona have looked more cohesive of late and have put together a strong run of form since the tumultuous evening at the Anoeta against Real Sociedad.
After making a number of changes for the low-key meeting with Elche last weekend, will he return to the XI that secured a first-leg advantage in this Copa del Rey quarter-final?
Who Will Partner the In-Form Antoine Griezmann?
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After enduring a difficult beginning to his time at Atletico Madrid, Antoine Griezmann has emerged as the outstanding forward in Diego Simeone's squad in recent weeks.
The club's marquee summer signing, the Frenchman has registered seven goals and two assists in his last eight appearances—a stretch that began with his sensational hat-trick against Athletic Bilbao at the San Mames in late December.
As such, he's guaranteed to start against Barcelona on Wednesday, but who will join him in attack?
In the league meeting between these teams earlier this month it was Mario Mandzukic who operated just ahead of Griezmann, while Fernando Torres took up that role in the first leg of this Copa del Rey quarter-final at the Camp Nou last week.
The idea with Torres, it seemed, was to ensure Atletico maintained a counter-attacking threat, given that he's seen as more mobile than Mandzukic.
But returning home in need of goals, one feels the Croatian will be selected by Simeone due to his ability in the air and to capitalise on the superb free-kick delivery of Koke—something they'll need to maximise to turn this tie around.
Barcelona's First-Leg Advantage Forces Atletico Madrid's Hand
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One of the most difficult experiences in European football at present is playing with a deficit against Atletico Madrid. In fact, it might be the most unpleasant experience of all.
Once in front, Atletico grind you down. Both mentally and physically.
With a scoreboard advantage, they tackle hard, dominate the air, clog up the middle of the pitch and turn the contest into an arm wrestle. Overturning the deficit is arduous—just ask Real Madrid.
But Diego Simeone's men don't have that advantage this time around. On this occasion, it's Atletico who must chase the game—it's their hand that is forced after falling to defeat at the Camp Nou last week.
Consequently, Barcelona will face an Atletico outfit that has no choice but to be more expansive and surge forward more often.
Such a situation plays into the hands of the Catalans nicely, who, provided they avoid conceding an early goal, could enjoy more space than they're typically accustomed to seeing against Los Colchoneros.
Atletico Madrid's Right vs. Barcelona's Left
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In case you haven't watched a lot of Atletico Madrid this season, the team's attacking punch is provided from the right-hand side, where full-back Juanfran has formed a mightily effective combination with Arda Turan.
So often the pair will share an interchange on the right sideline—Koke is regularly involved too—before the Turk releases Juanfran in behind the defensive line to send penetrating crosses into the box.
It's why the right-back has six assists this season. Six. As a defender.
But as previously mentioned, there's an obligation for Atletico Madrid to push forward heavily in this second-leg clash with Barcelona, which places an added burden on the team's dynamic right-sided pairing.
With Juanfran and Turan likely to be the home side's preferred avenue, Barcelona's left-sided brigade of Neymar, Andres Iniesta and Jordi Alba could attack the space in behind if they're able to break up Atletico's interchanges down the right flank.
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