ATLETICO DE MADRID vs FC BARCELONA
Vicente Calderón (Madrid) | Sun, Sept 18 | 19:00 CET
Tough visit to the Manzanares river in a classic of La Liga. We probably face the best Atletico Madrid in more than a decade and a stadium that never was easy for us. Moreover, this game has a weird importance, despite how soon it is, after the defeat at home against Hercules. A new defeat would make the alarms ring, since Real Madrid and Atletico (in case you want to take them seriously for the title race) may build the first comfortable gap of the season and it's too soon for it.
Pep Guardiola will have to decide what to do with the lineup. After the CL game and knowing we have a mid week Liga game after this clash, Pep Guardiola will have to choose between more rotations or playing with the model XI he fielded vs Panathinaikos. Considering that most of the players still are in "pre-season", it's not an easy decision.
In front of us, the best Atletico since the Doblete of the 90s. The best Atletico because the Europa League and European Supercup titles gave them a self-esteem they didn't know for years, a team full of confidence that believes in themselves, with the usual dangerous attack in the impressive Forlán-Agüero duo and a new colective sense, which is Quique Flores' fingerprint. Atletico will be the first big test for Barcelona this season and there's not much room for error.
For Barcelona, this game should be considered as a good way to show authority. After the impressive image shown in the CL, it's time to confirm that the accident of Hercules was... an accident. It's a game to win, it's an important game, it's a game to show superiority... a game to give the 100%.
I BELIEVE... FORÇA BARÇA!
