Barcelona face Atlético Madrid later today in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, with the aim of taking a sizeable advantage to defend in the return fixture. To reach the final, Barça must get past the toughest remaining opponent, and Atlético head into the tie in good shape.
Although Diego Simeone’s side lost their most recent match 1–0, they had demolished the same opponent, Real Betis, days earlier by a 5–0 scoreline, showing their attacking potency on that night. Taking down such a well-drilled defensive unit will be difficult, so Barcelona should focus on several key areas.
First — finish the chances. Under Hansi Flick’s setup Barça consistently creates opportunities: the attack has produced high xG figures in recent games and rarely fails to fashion chances regardless of venue or opposition. The problem has been converting those chances into goals. Against a defensively solid team like Atlético, every created chance is incredibly valuable; Barcelona must ensure they make them count to build a useful aggregate lead.
Second — curb Alexander Sørloth’s physical threat. Atlético have several attacking options — Ademola Lookman, Julián Álvarez and Sørloth among them — but Sørloth’s aerial and physical presence often proves too much for defenders. The Norwegian already has seven league goals this season, and Barcelona are one of his favoured opponents. How Flick plans to add physicality to the defence and neutralise him will be critical; Ronald Araújo is mentioned as one possible answer.
Third — step up the defensive work on the flanks. The central pairing of Eric García and Pau Cubarsí has looked relatively stable lately, forming arguably the manager’s best defensive partnership this season: they’ve handled the offside trap well, coordinated effectively and shown good ball-playing ability. Yet many of Barça’s problems come from the wide channels.
Alejandro Balde has contributed a lot going forward, but his advanced positioning leaves space for counters behind him. With Giuliano Simeone likely to operate on that flank on Thursday, Balde’s defensive responsibilities will be more important than ever. Then there is the Jules Koundé question: he has looked a shadow of his former self this season, with lethargic movement, poor reading of play and sloppy distribution. He will probably face the dynamic Lookman and must significantly raise his level.
How the full-backs close down and cut off attacks down the wings will play a decisive role in Thursday’s result, especially given Atlético’s reliance on their wingers.
