Barca looking to rediscover form
BIG CLASH Still trying to shrug off the PSG debacle, pressure will be on the Catalans against a welloiled Atletico Madrid
BARCELONA: Title hopefuls Barcelona need to capitalise on a rare lapse by Real Madrid if they are to take full advantage of Valencia’s midweek success against the leaders of La Liga.
The Catalans must prevail at in-form Atletico Madrid on Sunday to step up pressure on Real, whose 2-1 defeat at Valencia on Wednesday was only their second of the season. Real, just one point clear of Barca and three ahead of Sevilla, play later on Sunday at Villarreal.
Barca, still reeling from their 4-0defeatatParisSaint Germain in the Champions League on February 14, were booed last Sunday when they needed a late Lionel Messi penalty to beat strugglers Leganes 2-1 in their latest La Liga game.
“We’re not going through our best moment of form,” Barcelona defender Gerard Pique told reporters this week. “We’re focused on finding solutions.
“The most important thing is to get back to playing the way we like to play.”
Real’s defeat at a struggling Valencia, however, has given Barca a chance to move to top of the standings, at least for a few hours. Real, hoping to capture the La Liga crown for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign, are starting to look vulnerable.
“They conceded two goals in opening nine minutes — a deficit that Zinedine Zidane’s men could not overcome.
Atletico have had their struggles and are in fourth place, seven points behind Real. But they appear to be hitting their stride. The latest evidence was a 4-2 triumph at Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Atletico handed Barcelona a scareearlierthismonthin the King’s Cup semifinals when they drew 1-1 in the second leg at the Camp Nou, although Barcelona reached the final 3-2 on aggregate.
Now Luis Enrique’s men must rediscover their defensive solid- ity against an Atletico attack boasting a red-hot Kevin Gameiro,whofollowedhis hattrick in Sunday’s 4-1 win at Sporting Gijon by scoring again and setting up another at Leverkusen. Fernando Torres, Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Carrasco have also been on target of late. that knives have been pulled out for coach Luis Enrique. It happened in his first season in 2014-15 too because of lacklustre performances and players’ discontent .
came against Atletico on Jan 11, points against Valencia midweek, a win will push Barca closer in standings to Real, who have a one-point lead but also have a game in hand.
won against Barcelona in La Liga or Copa Del Rey. Their two victories came in the Champions League quarterfinals
(2013-14 and 2015-16).
Nou Camp was crucial in Atletico winning the La Liga crown in 2013-14.
Real have won just one of their last four away games in La Liga and face a tricky trip to Villarreal, who have lost only twice at home this season. 2015 with Barca winning 3-1 and Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar finding the back of the net. They went onto win the treble that season.
hope that Sunday’s match against Atletico will once again revive the Spanish giants’ fortunes. who after initial struggles seem to have got their mojo back, will move to 48 points if they win, three points adrift of Barca (currently 51). La Liga Copa del Rey
Spanish Super Cup
League
Europa
UEFA Super Cup Champions League runners-up Real France international central defender Raphael Varane has picked up a hamstring injury and risks missing up to three weeks.
and midfield looks out of sync, making them susceptible to teams pressing high with relentless aggression.
quick counter-attacks and high-press, Barca will have to be careful and not leave gaps as they did against PSG.
Atletico have found their scoring boots and will look to win their last match against the Catalans at the Vicente Calderon Stadium before moving base next season.
live on Sony Six, ESPN & HD, 4:30pm
live on Sony Six, ESPN & HD, 8:45pm
live on Sony Six, 11:00pm
liveon Sony Six HD, 11:00pm
live on Sony Six & HD, 1:15am (Mon) Real revealed on their website Friday that Varane suffered the injury in their shock 2-1 defeat at Valencia where he was substituted after 72 minutes.