Atletico Madrid vs. Celta Vigo: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Stream, TV Info
The second leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final between Atletico Madrid and Celta Vigo takes place on Wednesday night, with the tie finely poised after a goalless first 90 minutes at the Estadio Municipal de Balaidos.
In some ways, a 0-0 scoreline is the near-typical embodiment of Atletico Madrid at present: perfectly resolute, organised and untroubled in defence, but frustratingly off-key once inside the attacking penalty box, missing chances and with the strikers not firing on all cylinders.
The likes of Jackson Martinez and Luciano Vietto have not hit the heights expected of them, Fernando Torres has toiled after a good start, and Angel Correa—though exciting and aggressive—is extremely raw and inconsistent.
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Even more annoyingly for Los Rojiblancos, on-loan striker Borja Baston is firing on all cylinders for Eibar, starring in La Liga and hitting a brace at the weekend to move to 14 for the season—more than even Antoine Griezmann in league play at least.
Diego Simeone has to continue trying to strike the right balance by including his main attacking threats, without compromising that amazing consistency in the back line, but he needs to find the right blend soon.
At this stage of the season—in league or cup—a single chance taken can mean the difference in challenging for silverware...or having to wait until next year.
Several offensive players have impressed for Atleti at different times of the season, but rarely have they all clicked at once.
Yannick Carrasco, Oliver Torres and Thomas Partey have all had their moments, but a four-man midfield comprised of Koke, Saul, Gabi and Augusto Fernandez gives an insight into Cholo's mindset: They provide a balance the others don't always give, and while the end product isn't there from the forward ranks, the extra midfield man is a better bet.
Over two legs in the Copa del Rey, though, Atleti have to find a goalscoring answer. Two 0-0 draws in a row—the latest against Sevilla—are a puzzle the boss needs to find the remedy for, fast.
Success in both competitions depends on it, quite possibly in the space of a few days. Barcelona await at the weekend, but the Celta back line must be breached first.
Date: Wednesday, 27 January
Time: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Vicente Calderon, Madrid
TV Info: TVE La1 (ESP)
Live Stream: LaLigaTVCopa (UK), beIN SPORTS CONNECT (USA)
The Teams
Atletico Madrid head into the match as favourites to progress, by virtue of their league position as well as by being the home side.
A 0-0 scoreline from Balaidos a week ago means Celta have every chance themselves, but they have failed to score in three of their last five fixtures...and two of those blanks were against Atletico.
One win in the last five in La Liga, with four defeats, hasn't changed Celta's league position, at least in terms of places; they remain in fifth, but they are now closer to ninth than fourth by points difference.
Still, they have been successful in the Copa until now, knocking out Almeria and Cadiz before the quarter-finals. Atletico beat Reus Deportiu and Rayo Vallecano in the earlier rounds.
In La Liga, Atleti are the only club keeping pace with Barcelona. The Catalan club returned to the top of the table at the weekend and have a game in hand, but Atleti and Barca are level on points—headed into a clash against each other next time out in the league.
Team News
Atletico Madrid have Fernando Torres back in training after missing the last four matches with an ankle injury, but the striker is not yet training with his team-mates and continues to wait for that elusive 100th goal for his club.
Defender Lucas Hernandez missed training with lower back pain, according to Marca, while Tiago is still sidelined with a broken leg.
Goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya is likely to replace Jan Oblak again and, with a huge league game against Barcelona coming up next, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Simeone make further changes.
Fernandez could face his old club for the third time since leaving Celta for Atleti three weeks ago.
Celta Vigo are still without new midfield signing Marcelo Diaz and need to find a way to plug the gaps in their midfield, which was horrendously overrun by Rayo Vallecano at the weekend.
Nolito and Andreu Fontas are longer-term absentees through injury, but Claudio Beauvue has been involved recently since signing earlier this month.
Possible Lineups
Atleti (4-4-2): Miguel Angel Moya; Jesus Gamez, Josema Gimenez, Diego Godin, Guilherme Siqueira; Koke, Gabi, Augusto Fernandez, Yannick Carrasco; Angel Correa, Antoine Griezmann.
Celta (4-2-3-1): Ruben Blanco; Hugo Mallo, Cabral, Sergi Gomez, Jonny; Nemanja Radoja, Daniel Wass; Iago Aspas, Pablo Hernandez, Fabian Orellana; John Guidetti.
Player to Watch: Yannick Carrasco, ATM
The Belgian attacker hasn't been quite on top of his game over the past two months and has recently lost his starting spot—but is still used by Simeone in league play as an impact sub or to change the tactics of the match.
At home and needing a victory after the goalless first leg, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Carrasco return to the lineup, after he produced a good display off the bench at the weekend.
Capable of beating players for fun, crossing early or getting shots away as he cuts infield, Carrasco's pace and technique will be key for Atleti's hopes of breaking down Celta quickly and, should the home team score first, be a frequent outlet on the counter as Celta have to gamble later on.
Prediction: Atletico 2-0 Celta (agg 2-0)
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