«Spanish League»: Faltering Barcelona hosts brilliant Atletico

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will face off next Sunday in a summit match in the Spanish Premier League. Hoping to reduce the gap separating them from Real Madrid and Girona at the top of the title race.

According to Reuters, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are equal on 31 points, four points behind Real Madrid and Girona, who face Granada and Valencia, respectively, on Saturday.

The situations of Barcelona, ​​the defending champion, and Atletico differ before the match, as Atletico presents a strong offensive performance at the continental level, in contrast to the defensive solidity for which the team has been famous since coach Diego Simeone took charge a decade ago.

In addition, Atletico scored the largest number of goals in the Champions League, with 15 goals in five matches, equal to Manchester City, and Alvaro Morata, the Spanish team’s striker, is equal to Erling Haaland, the City star, and Rasmus Hoylund, the Manchester United player, as the top scorer. Competition with five goals.

Atletico leads Group E, and has clinched the qualification ticket to the round of 16, one round before the end of the group stage.

He also has a good run in the league, winning eight times in the last nine matches under the leadership of the brilliant Antoine Griezmann, the second top scorer in the competition with nine goals, two behind Jude Bellingham, the Real Madrid player, and Atletico still has a game in hand.

After defeating Feyenoord 3-0 in the Champions League last Tuesday, Atletico reached the 45th goal in 18 matches in all competitions this season, with an average of 2.5 goals per match.

This is the highest goal tally for Atletico after 18 matches in 11 years under Simeone’s leadership, surpassing the 2013-2014 season, which he finished with 43 goals and won the league.

After winning the last four matches in all competitions, Atletico will visit Barcelona, ​​which is under pressure from fans dissatisfied with the level of the team, which failed to win four of the last eight league matches.

Barcelona scored 11 points in the last eight league matches, after equalizing or scoring the winning goal in the last 15 minutes.

For his part, Xavi, the Barcelona coach, said jokingly, after his team rose up to win 2-1 over Porto, last Tuesday, and ensure qualification for the round of 16 in the Champions League, for the first time in three years: “I got the opportunity to enjoy peace of mind until Sunday.”

He added: “It is a step that gives you confidence and raises your morale. I feel satisfied… I feel calm, but it is not liberation, as many might say. I am not a prisoner.”

Xavi was joking, but he probably wouldn’t have needed to if his team had been in a different situation.

His team will play a very difficult match against a brilliant competitor next Sunday, and a victory will relieve the pressure it is under, but a stumble would take away the euphoria of qualifying for the Champions League knockout rounds.