Antoine Griezmann was among the goalscorers in the first leg.
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Holding a stunning 4-0 lead from the first leg, Atlético Madrid could be forgiven for feeling that they already have one foot in the Copa del Rey final in Seville in April, but first they must see out their semi-final clash with FC Barcelona on Tuesday night.
The Colchoneros head to the Spotify Camp Nou seeking what would be their first win at the stadium since 2006, with their 2024 away victory over the Blaugrana coming at Montjuïc Stadium.
Coach Diego Simeone insisted pre-match that, “obviously, all these scenarios of fear arise, of possibilities, of what if it goes well, what if it goes badly, but we’re fantastic in the position we are in”, repeatedly stating that his team would treat this as they would any other fixture.
Atlético Madrid team news vs. FC Barcelona
There are a host of injury doubts surrounding the Atlético Madrid midfield where Diego Simeone is set to be disappointed and miss out on the option to include key midfielder Pablo Barrios. Sidelined since for a month, Barrios won’t be fit enough to return and is still yet to rejoin full training.
The better news focuses on Johnny Cardoso, who has replaced Barrios well and found some of his best form of the season in recent weeks. The American was a concern after clutching his hamstring as he came off after 60 minutes at the weekend, but had trained normally this week.
There could be a return, however, as winger Nico González has rejoined full group training over the weekend and is in line to be available. The Argentinian has fallen out of favor in recent months, but remains an option to add depth to the squad after overcoming a hamstring strain.
Another doubt will come in defence, where left-back Matteo Ruggeri has been training individually to handle his workloads and avoid an injury. The Italian is believed to be fully fit and available for selection for this game, but was not risked for the win over Real Oviedo on Saturday and his place was instead given to youngster Julio Díaz.
Atlético Madrid expected lineup vs. FC Barcelona
Atlético Madrid’s expected starting XI against FC Barcelona (4-4-2): Juan Musso; Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, Dávid Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri; Giuliano Simeone, Koke, Johnny Cardoso, Ademola Lookman; Julián Álvarez, Alexander Sørloth.
The only major change from recent weeks will come between the sticks, where back-up goalkeeper Juan Musso will come in for vice-captain Jan Oblak. Musso has started every game in this competition this season and will continue to feature in the Copa del Rey for the duration of the tournament.
Among the substitutes who are likely to feature are attacking options such as Janaury signing Ademola Lookman. Taken off at half-time against Real Oviedo to keep him fresh for this game, Álex Baena’s defensive work rate mean he could also fight to start, but Lookman’s energy and direct dribbling could be used as an offensive outlet.
Other frequent appearances off the bench could include the former Barcelona man Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman has been linked with a move to Orlando City in MLS, but remains at Atlético for now. As the competition’s joint-top scorer with five goals in four games, he will be seeking to add to his tally against his previous club.
Defensively, José María Giménez, Robin Le Normand and Nahuel Molina all offer experienced options to shore up the defense if required. In midfield, January signing Rodrigo Mendoza could also be an option after featuring prominently in training preparations this week.
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