We take a break from La Liga action this week as the first legs of the Copa del Rey semi-finals begin — Barcelona face Atletico Madrid whilst Real Sociedad play Real Madrid.
Barcelona on top of La Liga
Real Madrid has had mixed results in La Liga recently, so Barcelona have taken advantage of this by winning their last five matches. This has put Barca at the top of La Liga but only on goal differential. Both teams have 54 points but Hansi Flick's side is leading by a difference of 11 goals.
Barcelona beat Las Palmas 2-0 last weekend thanks to goals from Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres. They have a busy schedule approaching next month — along with their La Liga fixtures, they are also due to face Benfica home and away in the Champions League.
Julian Alvarez is Atletico's star
Manchester City must be regretting letting Julian Alvarez leave the club. The striker has scored 19 goals in 38 games in all competitions this season for Atletico Madrid. This included a brace in their 3-0 win over Valencia last Saturday. Pep Guardiola's side have struggled this season and only replaced Alvarez in January by spending £59m on Omar Marmoush.
Atletico are third in La Liga but only a point behind Barcelona and Real Madrid. It is a tough tie for Atletico against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey this Tuesday. However, it does not get any easier for Diego Simeone's side as they play Real Madrid in the Champions League the following week.
Team news and predicted lineups
Olmo came off the bench to score against Las Palmas, but he could be in line to start against Atletico.
Barcelona predicted lineup: Szczesny, Kounde, Garcia, Balde, Martin, Casado, Pedri, Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha, Lewandoski
Juan Musso should replace Jan Oblak in goal for Atletico Madrid. Musso has played all five of their Copa del Rey games so far and conceded just once.
Atletico Madrid predicted lineup: Musso, Molina, Gimenez, Le Normand, Galan, Simeone, Gallagher, De Paul, Correa, Griezmann, Alvarez
Historical context and prediction
When the two sides met in La Liga earlier in the season, Atletico won 2-1 thanks to a goal in the 96th minute by Alexander Sorloth. That was at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, so Barca should not allow Simeone's side to beat them twice at home in the same campaign. Therefore, the Blaugrana should win 2-0.
How to watch Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid
Barcelona play Atletico Madrid at 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Feb. 25. The match can be streamed on ESPN+.