Barcelona receives the Atalanta on Wednesday in Montjuïc at 9:00 p.m. in the last match of the Champions League phase. The Barça want to tie the second position of the classification before the Italian team that needs to win to enter among the top eight classified for the round of 16. Flick’s have won everything in this edition except for the first meeting against Monaco (2-1) and expect a lifret of Liverpool that could give them the first place in the table. Barça arrives after winning in the league by win to Valencia 7-1 and, in their last European match last week, they beat Benfica after a large comeback (4-5). The German coach is starting with Szczesny, Koundé, Araújo, Eric García, Balde, Pedri, Gavi, Jong, Lamine Yamal, Lewandowski and Raphinha. In front is the Gasperini set that is making a good Champions with a balance of four victories, two draws and a single defeat, against Real Madrid.
03. FC Barcelona coach, Hans-Dieter Flick, has won 10 of his 11 home games at the UEFA Champions League (7v 1e with Bayern, 3V with the boat). It has both the best percentage of victories (91%) and the best average goals per game (3,1) of a coach with 10+ games at home in the competition.
02. FC Barcelona has won seven of its last eight UEFA Champions League games at home (1D), scoring 25 goals. His only defeat was against the PSG in the quarterfinals of last season, falling 1-4.
01. The Atalanta has won his three games as a visitor at the UEFA Champions League this season, one of the two teams with 100% victories outside the Liverpool. The Italian team has won 57% of its matches as a visitor in the competition (8/14), the best record among all the teams that have played 10+ games at home.
Let’s go now with some data on the meeting!
The person in charge of arbitrating this meeting at the Olimpic Lluís Companys stadi will be Michael Oliver, international for Austria. Assistants: Stuart Burt (England) and James Mainwaring (England). Fourth referee: Andrew Madley (England). The Jarred Gillett (England), greed for Darren England (England) will support you in the VAR room.
Banquillo de la Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio: Marco Brescianini, Federico Cassa, Juan Cuadrado, Rui Patricio, Matteo Ruggeri, Marco Palestra, Francesco Rossi, Lazar Samardzic, Giorgio Scalvini, Rafael Toloi, Vanja Vlahovic and Nicolo Zaniolo.
Three injured in the Italian squad where the last minute has gained importance for a Lookman Ahola that promises to be out more than one encounter after suffering a “distraction trauma with the affectation of the lateral articular compartment.” Together with the Nigerian, this party Odilon Kossounou and Gianluca Scamacca are lost.
Three changes by Gian Piero Gasperini regarding the team that thrashed the Sturm Graz in the J7 (3-4-2-1): Marco Carnecchi-Sead Kolasinac, Isak Hien, Berat Djimsiti-Davide Zappacosta, Ederson, Marten de Roon, Raoul Bellanova – Mario Pasalic, Charles de Ketelaere – Mateo Retegui.
Banquillo de Fútbol Club Barcelona: Marc Casadó, Pau Cubarsí, Ansu Fati, Héctor Fort, Diego Kochen, Fermín López, Gerard Martín, Iñaki Peña, Pablo Torre, Ferran Torres and Pau Víctor.
Five absences for FC Barcelona and the confrontation of this last duel in the Liguera phase of the UEFA Champions League, with all of them being due to injury. Specifically, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen, Iñigo Martínez, Dani Olmo and Marc-André Ter Stegen will miss this clash where Hansi Flick again bets under sticks for a Wojciech Szczesny who seems to have taken the position to Iñaki Peña.
Two modifications by Hansi Flick regarding his latest shock in the competition against Benfica, with Eric García and Frenkie de Jong entering the eleven (4-2-3-1): Wojciech Szczesny-Alejandro Balde, Eric García, Ronald Araujo, Jules Koundé – Pedri, Frenkie de Jong – Raphinha, Gavi, Lamine Yamal – Robert Lewandowski.
We already have the alignments of both teams!
However, the Bergamo team left behind a five -game streak without winning in Serie A in its last meeting in the competition, imposing – with comeback included – by 1-2 to how, and linking this with its previous victory in the Champions League against Sturm Graz (5-0), allowing him to resume sensations for the important appointment on Wednesday. To win, the DEA will be among the 16 best of the Champions League for the third time in its history, only having a better result in 2019/20, when they reached the quarterfinals.
For all these reasons, and with the imposing aura in the band of a technician who has his fetish competition, a simple night is not expected for a watchtower that needs the victory so as not to have to play an extra round in the competition. Although the Italians have only lost a match in what we have been touring, this defeat came precisely before a Spanish club, Real Madrid, who managed to take the victory during his visit to Italy.
And it is that the Barça team is presented in this match after the consummation of one of the greatest goals executed of what is going on seasons, beating 7-1, in this same scenario, to a Valencia in low hours, in an act of Power and superiority that surely many have taken note, and more if possible when, just a few weeks ago, he was also able to score five goals to a whole Real Madrid, in force champion of this competition.
FC Barcelona arrives with honey on the lips to this last champions shock that will play at home, without the pressure of having something real at stake. The Catalans only have to define their final place in the table, having no option to lose their place as one of the 16 teams that will be present in the round of 16 of the tournament. Of course, this does not promise to be a relaxation note for the pupils of Hansi Flick that, predictably, will go out for all in their stadium, and more if possible after the mood envy they bring behind them.
Very good to all! Welcome to this meeting corresponding to the Eighth Day of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase! Choral Day, with the same schedule set at 9:00 p.m. He does not have his rival in the contest, the Atalanta, who will have to win his place at the Olympic stadium and try to avoid the fall to the sixteenth.