Clash of the heavyweights as Atletico host Barcelona in La Liga

KOLKATA: This weekend’s

La Liga

match between Atletico Madrid and

Barcelona

will produce some thrilling football as two strong teams will battle it out and some of the best individuals in the game come face to face.


There are several interesting duels worth keeping an eye on.

The goalkeepers: Jan Oblak vs Marc-André ter Stegen

Atlético and FC Barcelona boast two of the best goalkeepers in world football in Jan Oblak and Marc-André ter Stegen. The latter hasn’t yet been able to win the Zamora Trophy, given out each season to the goalkeeper with the best goals conceded record in La Liga, and there’s one main reason for that, which is that Oblak has been in the way.

The defence: José María Giménez vs Gerard Piqué

In defence, Atlético and FC Barcelona can sometimes be like day and night. On one hand, Atletico have produced one of the most solid defensive lines in La Liga over the past several years, while FC Barcelona have a philosophy of attacking no matter what and leaving some space behind. Two of the players leading those back lines are José María Giménez and Gerard Piqué.

The midfield:

Koke

&

Marcos Llorente

vs Frenkie de Jong &

Sergio Busquets

The midfield battle could be more decisive than ever and FC Barcelona will have to be careful. Despite Barça’s tradition of dominating in the middle, this is also one of Atletico’s best positions as they have Koke and Marcos Llorente who can control matches. FC Barcelona have a similarly strong duo in the form of Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets.

The attack: Luis Suárez vs Memphis Depay

Luis Suárez was one of Atlético’s best players as they won the La Liga title last season, his first as a Rojiblanco after having moved from FC Barcelona. The Uruguayan remains a permanent threat in attack. In this weekend’s match, Suárez and co. will be looking to outscore the Barça attack centred around the talents of summer signing Memphis Depay.

The dugout: Diego Simeone vs

Ronald Koeman

Diego Simeone is the La Liga coach who has been in his current position the longest and he’ll go up against one of the more recent hires in Spain’s top flight, Ronald Koeman. These two tacticians represent the values of their clubs so well, although there might not be as much of a clash of styles as in previous meetings between these sides.