Barcelona statistics give Atletico Madrid edge in Champions League decider

Barcelona statistics give Atletico Madrid edge in Champions League decider

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal and manager Hansi Flick were firm in their conviction that a comeback against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals was more than possible on Tuesday night, as the two sides face each other at the Metropolitano. Yet the numbers on offer this season suggest that the task is even taller than first appears.

The two sides have met on five occasions this season, with Barcelona winning three of them and Atletico Madrid winning two. The Catalan side took both La Liga encounters, but Los Colchoneros rotated in the second of those ties, and Atletico came out on top in their Copa del Rey double header. Across the five games, both sides have scored eight goals.

Barcelona defensive woes suggest Atletico will score

The statistics do bode well for Atletico. Diego Simeeone said that his side will look get on the front foot in the game, and captain Koke Resurreccion called on his team to have personality on the ball to be able to hurt Barcelona behind their press. As pointed out by Diario AS, Barcelona are currently on a run of 14 games without a clean sheet in Europe. Since Flick arrived, no side in the Champions League has conceded more than the 43 of Barcelona. This season, Barcelona have conceded in every Champions League game too, implying they may well need four goals to go through.

Barcelona defensive experiment

Since Flick came in, defender Jules Kounde has almost exclusively been used as a right-back, but MD say that in the final training session before the game, the Frenchman was tested at centre-back. Ronald Araujo would be at right-back in that case, with Eric Garcia in midfield. It would be something of a surprise if Kounde was moved, but Pau Cubarsi is suspended, and Garcia may be required in the middle of the pitch, as it is not certain who will partner Pedri in the middle of the pitch.

Flick ‘not worried about defending’

Barcelona’s struggles defensively were pointed out to Flick before the game, given Inter managed to go through against them despite his side scoring six times last year. Flick assured that he was not concerned about their defending, and that it would hinge on his side pressing as a unit and being compact as a team.