Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona: CDR Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

The second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona will take place at the Metropolitano. 

Both sides aim to advance to a final match, either Real Madrid or Real Sociedad, after last month's exciting 4-4 draw in the tie's first leg. 

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

In the last month, Atletico's aspirations of winning La Liga and qualifying for the Champions League have been dashed, and now their season is about to collapse. 

Losses of 2-1 in the Champions League and La Liga to Real Madrid and Getafe marked the beginning of a bad run of form for Diego Simeone's squad. 

Unfortunately, their Champions League run ended in a penalty shootout loss despite a 1-0 lead in the second-leg match against Real Madrid. 

Before returning from the international break with a 1-1 draw against Espanyol on Saturday, they lost 4-2 at home to league leaders Barcelona after letting a two-goal lead slip away. 

With nine games remaining, Atleti are nine points behind the leaders. Cesar Azpilicueta's historic first La Liga goal was in vain as Javi Puado equalized from the penalty spot to extend Atleti's losing streak to three matches. 

Los Colchoneros aim to win the Copa del Rey for the first time since 2012-13. Hence, it is the tournament that Atletico Madrid will focus on the most this season. 

Atletico's two late goals rescued a 4-4 draw in last month's away leg, and the tie with Barcelona is on the brink of elimination. However, Atleti's final ambitions will be hurt by their inability to advance from their past three Copa del Rey semi-final matches. 

In contrast to their hosts, Barcelona is still in the running to win three more titles after winning the Spanish Super Cup in January. 

Since losing 2-1 at home to Atletico Madrid in December, the Blaugrana have gone on a 20-game winning streak in all competitions (W17, D3). 

At the moment, they are unrivaled in La Liga, have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and are within one victory of a Copa del Rey final appearance since their triumph in 2020-21. 

Two home wins for Hansi Flick's squad since the international break: first, a 3-0 triumph over Osasuna in a rescheduled meeting, and second, a 4-1 rout of Girona, a Catalan rival, thanks to two goals from Robert Lewandowski, one from Ferran Torres, and an own goal by Ladislav Krejci. 

Thanks to Sunday's performance, Barcelona became the first La Liga club to score 139 goals in 45 competitive games in a season. Now, Barcelona can confidently look forward to their return to the Metropolitano in just over two weeks. 

The Catalan giants have won their last three road meetings against Atletico after losing 2-0 in a La Liga encounter in October 2021. 

They have won eight of their last nine Copa del Rey semi-final matches, which should give them confidence. Their lone loss came in 2022–23 when they fell 5-1 on aggregate to Real Madrid in their most recent participation in the quarterfinals. 

Atletico Madrid x Barcelona Team News

Koke, Atletico Madrid's captain, has missed the previous eight games due to a muscular injury and is racing against the clock to prove that he is healthy. 

Robin Le Normand, a defender who was taken off in the first half due to a head injury, is likely to be fit to play, but he may be able to make it to the bench. 

The third game of Atletico Madrid's five-match suspension for forward Angel Correa's use of profanity towards the referee in Getafe's 2-1 victory will be served. 

After returning from South American international duty, Jose Maria Gimenez, Rodrigo De Paul, and Julian Alvarez will all get the nod to start after coming off the bench on Saturday. 

Simeone may consider starting Reinildo Mandava on the left flank to counter Lamine Yamal's danger. 

While Andreas Christensen must be evaluated before the second leg, the visitors will miss Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal, and Marc Casado. 

Barcelona attacker Dani Olmo is also sidelined for up to three weeks after hurting his adductor in Thursday's victory against Osasuna. 

Due to an injury he sustained while on international service, Pau Cubarsi has not been starting either of the past two games. However, he may start in place of Ronald Araujo on Wednesday. 

After coming off the bench in Sunday's resounding victory against Girona, Frenkie de Jong may get the nod to start in the middle of the field again. 

Raphinha will likely be in peak physical condition to start at the Metropolitano after sitting out last weekend's 4-1 victory. 

Our predictions

Barcelona to win @ 2.36 on Sky247.ng

We predict that Barcelona, riding high on the momentum of six straight victories, will defeat Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano on Wednesday for the second game in as many weeks, thanks to their supreme confidence and tremendous firepower.

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