Atlético Madrid beat Real Oviedo 2-0 on Saturday night.
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Tuesday night will pitch up two of La Liga’s top three as FC Barcelona welcome Atlético Madrid to the Spotify Camp Nou with a 9pm CET (3pm ET) kick-off. The Colchoneros arrive in Catalonia enjoying a streak of seven consecutive victories in all competitions and seeking a repeat of a dramatic 2-1 win in Barcelona against the Cules 12 months ago.
No side has been behind on the scoreboard for fewer minutes than Atlético Madrid’s 17 this season, and they now face one of their toughest tests yet. Only last week, they took on Italian giants Inter Milan and blew them away with a winning goal from José María Giménez to emerge with a 2-1 victory in injury time.
On Saturday, Atlético beat Real Oviedo and made light work of the newly-promoted side with a 2-0 win courtesy of two goals from Norwegian forward Alexander Sørloth as coach Diego Simeone made seven changes to his starting line-up.
Atlético Madrid team news vs. FC Barcelona
There is only one man certain to miss out on this fixture for Atlético Madrid, which is right-back Marcos Llorente who still faces another couple of weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring strain suffered against Getafe after the international break.
Fellow defender Robin Le Normand has also been out with a knee injury, but he is aiming for a comeback and could even make the squad for this game. However, after over a month out, he is unlikely to be rushed back and is not expected to feature in the line-up even if he is deemed fit.
Elsewhere, winger Nico González has overcome an illness which had him in hospital on Tuesday as he suffered with vomiting and diarrhea, but he was able to feature against Inter on Wednesday and was well enough to play 87 minutes on Saturday.
Diego Simeone also confirmed that his decision to withdraw Álex Baena at half-time against Real Oviedo was entirely tactical and there is no injury concern with the attacking midfielder, meaning he’ll be available.
There are also no suspensions for Atlético, with Koke and Marcos Llorente leading the yellow card count on three each, meaning that the captain could not face a ban until the home tie against Valencia at the earliest.
Atlético Madrid expected lineup vs. FC Barcelona
Atlético Madrid’s expected lineup vs. FC Barcelona: Jan Oblak; Nahuel Molina, José María Giménez, David Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri; Giuliano Simeone, Pablo Barrios, Koke, Conor Gallagher; Álex Baena; Julián Álvarez.
There is a degree of uncertainty as to how Diego Simeone will approach this game in several key areas, particularly down the left flank. In a more advanced role, the coach has tended to opt for Conor Gallagher’s defensive tenacity and work rate against elite sides like Barcelona, but there is also competition from Nico González, who offers the flexibility to drop in as a wing-back, and Thiago Almada.
Behind him, David Hancko has performed well at both left-back and in central defence in recent weeks. Where Simeone opts to field him could open the door for either Matteo Ruggeri at left-back, as was the case against Inter Milan, or for Clement Lenglet in a cental role against his former club.
In central midfield, Johnny Cardoso also produced an impressive display against Inter Milan in his first start since August and that could bring him into contention alongside captain Koke for a holding midfield position.
Off the bench, Marc Pubill got his first start for the club at the weekend and is likely to be used for defensive reinforcements if needed, while Alexander Sørloth’s double against Real Oviedo will also position him alongside Antoine Griezmann as an offensive option.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/samleveridge/2025/11/30/atltico-madrid-expected-lineup-and-team-news-vs-fc-barcelona/
