The wait is over. With the final international break of the season behind us, club football returns, and it does so with a genuine heavyweight clash in La Liga. Barça put their lead to the test with a visit to the Metropolitano to face Atlético Madrid once again.

all about the game in our match center

The first of three

Culés and colchoneros have already met twice recently in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, and this Saturday’s match (kick-off 9pm CET) marks the start of a trilogy of three encounters in ten days, with two Champions League ties to come after this first meeting in the league.

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While Barça sit top of the table and are looking to maintain their four-point lead over second placed Real Madrid, Atlético are fourth, with a Champions League spot virtually secured and a minimum objective: finishing third, ahead of Villarreal. On paper, this suggests Barça will go all out, while the Madrid side might rotate with Europe in mind.

An Atlético with key absentees

However, with suspensions, injuries and fitness concerns, Simeone also has limited options, especially in midfield. Johnny Cardoso, a regular in the double pivot, and Llorente, the starting right-back who can also slot into midfield, will both be suspended. In addition, Mendoza and Pablo Barrios remain injured, and the home coach may tweak his system, either redeploying Baena or Griezmann as interior midfielders alongside Koke, or giving a chance to young Vargas, who arrived in the winter window.

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Kounde and Balde back; no Raphinha

Marc Pubill will also miss out through injury, while there are doubts over Jan Oblak, who has missed recent matches, and Sørloth, who suffered a head wound during the break and has missed several training sessions. Barça, meanwhile, will be without Raphinha, injured on international duty, as well as De Jong and Christensen, who were already sidelined. Flick does, however, welcome back Kounde and Balde.

With all these factors in play, the blaugrana face one of their toughest matches of the run-in. Not just because of the strength of the opposition, but also because games immediately after international breaks are always tricky, especially with most of the squad only returning on Thursday, just two days before kick-off. Even so, it’s all about going for the three points.

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