Three talking points ahead of Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona | La Liga GW 28 | OneFootball

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid played out a fascinating 4-4 draw last month in Catalonia as they locked horns in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie.

They face each other once again on Sunday, in La Liga this time, at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, and it is clear that a lot rides on the result that plays out at the venue.

Both teams have been in imperious form this season and have been in the driver’s seat in the title race all along. While Barcelona suffered a mid-season slump, Atletico Madrid have been largely consistent but have faltered slightly in recent outings.

Tomorrow’s game in Madrid will have massive implications on how the rest of the season plays out for both teams and may well be one of the most important remaining games in La Liga apart from El Clasico.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona.

A question of mentality

While both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have had largely similar calendars so far this season, both teams enter tomorrow’s game with vastly different mentalities and states of mind.

Hansi Flick’s side, could not have hoped for a better run of form to be on ahead of the clash against Los Rojiblancos, as they arrive fresh off a massive victory over Benfica that gave them a place in the quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League.

Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, face the polar opposite situation as they were eliminated from the competition by Real Madrid. What makes their situation worse is the manner in which they lost, especially with a controversial VAR involvement in the penalty shootout.

One critical factor that will decide the result tomorrow, thus, is the mentality with which both sides descend to the field. After all, it remains to be seen if the hosts are out to avenge their defeat midweek or still in the shock of the result.

Concurrently, however, one cannot help but note that Atletico Madrid are coming off a game that sucked the life out of the squad with 120 minutes of draining football. That, combined with the 24 hours extra rest that Barcelona have, may well prove decisive.

One for the title race

Heading into the 28th match of the season, Barcelona have La Liga in control with both Madrid-based sides slipping up in recent weeks.

Tomorrow night is one of the occasions where the Catalans can directly take points off their competitor and thus establish a superior lead and it is impossible to look at the game at the Metropolitano without having an eye on the table.

Another fierce battle on the horizon. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Barcelona are currently on 57 points in La Liga, one point ahead of Los Rojiblancos with an extra game in hand. A win over Diego Simeone’s side tomorrow will thus take them four points clear with a game in hand, implying a difference as large as seven points.

Given the current stage of the season, that may well be the end of the road for Atletico Madrid in the league title race and thus will help Barcelona solidify their advantage.

While Real Madrid may still be relatively close in the standings, being level on points with Los Blancos with a game in hand is an advantage that cannot be ignored as well.

All eyes tomorrow night, thus, will be on stabilising the situation in La Liga and going home with one direct competitor significantly behind on the standings.

Lessons to be learnt

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have faced off twice this season and neither game is particularly worth remembering from a Blaugrana fan’s perspective.

From a pure footballing sense, both games were joyous to witness as Flick’s men outdid the Madrid-based side’s defence time and time again and generated continuous waves of attacks on both nights.

However, they did not win on either occasion and it is safe to say that they made the same mistake on both nights – slacking out at the tail end of the game.

Barcelona conceded a late Alexander Sorloth winner against Atletico Madrid at Montjuic in La Liga in December and gave away precious points.

Last month, they faced off at the same venue in the Copa del Rey and once again slacked out in the final ten minutes to allow Los Rojiblancos to take home a 4-4 draw that should well have been a Barcelona win.

Taking to the field at the Metropolitano tomorrow night, it is crucial that Barcelona stay tight at the back until the final whistle is blown so as to ensure Atletico Madrid do not find any late inroads into the game.

Also equally important, needless to say, is to ensure that they take their chances and are more effective in front of Jan Oblak’s goal.