Barcelona wary of Griezmann
KEY MAN: FRENCHMAN BEHIND ATLETICO RESURGENCE
Mercurial front man could yet move to the Nou Camp.
Madrid
Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann goes up against Barcelona tomorrow looking to derail the title charge of a club he may yet join in the summer.
Barca were forced last month to deny claims they had agreed a deal to sign the Frenchman, whose run of form stands as the principal threat to them toasting a 25th La Liga triumph.
In January, Barcelona and Atletico were separated by 11 points at the top of the table but win this weekend, and Diego Simeone’s side will have cut that gap to two.
Barca’s slip at Las Palmas on Thursday, a day after Atletico claimed their eighth consecutive win over Leganes, means the balance has tipped back towards the capital.
But, just as Griezmann has been the driving force behind their resurgence, with an outstanding 12 goals in nine games, the 26-year-old will be key again.
He has never scored at the Camp Nou, a drought that extends to nine outings, but back-to-back hat-tricks, the second a quadruple, against Sevilla and Leganes this week will certainly have pricked the Catalans’ attention.
Griezmann’s surge has quickened since the arrival of Diego Costa, whose willingness to engage defenders has allowed his partner to flourish.
But while Costa appears the perfect foil, Griezmann might glance across at his opponents on Sunday and wonder where and how he would fit in.
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez admittedly have 61 years of age between them but also 59 goals this term.
The €160 million Philippe Coutinho, meanwhile, scored his first in the league against Girona last weekend while even the disorientated Ousmane Dembele is showing signs he is beginning to settle.
Real Madrid´s own title aspirations are long gone, with their focus firmly shifted to the Champions League and next week´s second-leg clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
Domestic fixtures have become something similar to European trials, with the likes of Gareth Bale, Marcos Asensio and Isco all missing the chance to push their case in Tuesday’s surprise defeat at Espanyol.
Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to be restored to the starting line-up at home to Getafe today. Marcelo is back in training but Luka Modric (thigh) and Toni Kroos (knee) are further away. –