Barcelona welcomed Atlético Madrid to the Camp Nou on Tuesday evening knowing that anything but three points would likely all but put an end to their hopes of fighting back in the title race against Real Madrid in La Liga. Diego Simeones men arrived in fine form with four wins and a draw since the restart and inevitably they would hold out for a draw, which does Quique Setién no favours as the pressure on him heats up.
In the first half, Diego Costa inadvertently spilled the ball into his own goal from a corner and then missed a penalty kick after Arturo Vidal brought down Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, only for VAR to indicate that the penalty should be retaken with Saúl not making the same mistake. Lionel Messi would convert the next penalty at the other end as Felipe brought down Nelson Semedo, who would return the favour by tripping Carrasco to allow Saúl to equalise in the final goal of the night from yet another penalty.
This tactical analysis will provide an analysis of the tactics of both Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in this crucial La Liga fixture which will have a huge influence upon the title race in Spain.
Line-Ups
Setién provided a surprise with his Barcelona line-up as he gave a start to youngster Riqui Puig, with neither Antoine Griezmann nor Martin Braithwaite selected, the latter having failed to make the desired impact in a similar tactical battle against Sevilla recently. This meant a four-man midfield with Puig operating at the peak of the diamond.
Simeone opted for Marcos Llorente in attack as a second striker for Atlético Madrid, with Ángel Correa and Carrasco providing a surprisingly offensive-minded midfield set-up. Without Koke due to suspension, Saúl lined up alongside Thomas with Correa and Carrasco on the flanks. The suspension of Stefan Savić also allowed Felipe to return following a spell on the sidelines through injury.
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