Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Atletico Madrid welcome Barcelona to the Spanish capital in La Liga on Sunday as the Catalans hope to leapfrog Real Madrid at the summit.
The Blaugrana are only one point behind the Galacticos in the title race but are still recovering from their 4-0 first-leg thrashing against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
Atleti's fortunes oppose Barca's, with their domestic form often short of their performances in Europe's top competition.
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Here is how you can catch the action from Spain:
Date: Sunday, Feb.26
Time: 3:15 p.m. GMT/10.15 a.m. ET
TV: Sky Sports 2/beIN Sports
Stream: Sky Go, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, fuboTV
Preview
Atletico have been difficult to beat this season in Spain, but they have found it difficult to transform defensive superiority into consistent wins.
Manager Diego Simeone has watched his team fail to achieve victory 10 times in 23 La Liga matches this season, and the Vicente Calderon Stadium side have scored fewer goals than the three teams above them.
Los Blancos' recent defeat to Valencia has once again opened the door to coach Luis Enrique's unit, just when it appeared the pressure was on the Barca boss.
According to Ben Hayward of Goal, Sergio Busquets is set to return for the visitors after suspension, but Javier Mascherano remains "doubtful." Defender Aleix Vidal is out for the rest of the campaign after suffering a serious ankle injury against Alaves.
The encounter marks Diego Simeone's 300th game in charge of Atletico, per Hayward, and the fabled coach will be desperate to fire his team's charge across the closing months of the season.
Atleti need to replicate the dominance they have achieved in Europe as they have appeared short on the domestic stage.
However, Simeone will be missing the trio of Tiago, Juanfran and Augusto Fernandez for the match, according to Hayward, restricting the manager's options against Spain's most lethal attacking force.
The result is pivotal for both teams, and Barca cannot afford to lose any ground to Real at this stage of the campaign. Simeone also knows a defeat could open the door to Real Sociedad and Villarreal, who trail just behind his club in the league table.
Atletico have been consistently in the mix to win La Liga for a number of years, and a finish outside of the top three will be deemed utter failure.
If Barca crash out of Europe, regaining their league crown will become the main objective, and a defeat on Sunday will let Real off the hook after a dip in their own form.
The heat is accumulating on Enrique after a lack of desire from his team, and the Spaniard is set to ditch Barca's traditional 4-3-3 in an attempt to restore immediate success.
Ignasi Oliva of Goal reported the coach could switch to a 4-2-3-1 as he attempts to stop opponents having free reign against his labouring defensive unit.
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