Who: Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid
Content: Spanish La Liga
Location: Camp Nou, Barcelona
Date and time: Tuesday 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 17:00 GMT ahead of the live text commentary stream.
Barcelona and Atlético Madrid will meet at the Camp Nou for a blockbuster midweek match as they look to achieve their respective title aspirations.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
Barça came from behind to defeat Alaves on the weekend, marking their fourth consecutive league win, and are now precariously at the top of La Liga, just one point behind second-place Real Madrid.
Fourth-placed Atlético, who won 2-0 at home to Real Oviedo at the weekend, trail Barcelona by three points.
Atlético have now won seven straight games in all competitions since losing 4-0 away to Arsenal in October.
And with Real Madrid suffering a third successive La Liga defeat with a 1-1 draw with bottom side Girona on Sunday, Barcelona and Atletico will be hoping to take advantage of their rivals’ slump in form.
Flick comes under fire despite winning against Alaves
Despite beating Alaves 3-1, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was said to be on the verge of tears after the game and was consoled by winger Rafinha.
Flick later said he was furious with some referees, including the referee’s decision to give red cards to two staff members during the match.
“There was a lack of communication. I asked the fourth official what happened and he didn’t tell me anything,” Flick said after the match, calling it an “endemic problem”.
However, Flick expressed his dissatisfaction beyond the referee.
“We don’t have the control that we had at times last season,” he said. “We have to improve and we can improve a lot.”
“Flick believes we are not playing our best and I agree,” Rafinha told reporters.
“Still, what was important today was that we got the win. We know we’re not at our best, but we’re working on it. I’m sure we’ll get back to our best this season.”
🚨 Hansi Flick: “After the game, Rafinha said the same thing I said last time: We will improve. We will be even better in the upcoming games.”
🎥 @DAZN_ES pic.twitter.com/vjJaZJdV3e
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 29, 2025
Rafinha returns to singing
Rafinha, who was the driving force behind Barcelona’s double domestic title last season, showed his former sharpness against Alaves in his first start in two months after recovering from a hamstring injury.
He scored two goals early on, twice slipping behind the defense on the left side of the area and scoring in the 8th and 26th minutes with passes to Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo.
Olmo added a third goal in stoppage time, scoring from a one-two passing combination with Yamal.
Flick praised Rafinha’s efforts in attack and defense, especially his pressing which was contagious to his teammates.
“Rafa is a dynamic player,” Flick said. “We missed him.”
Atlético on the rise
Atlético Madrid beat Real Oviedo 2-0 on Saturday thanks to two first-half goals from Alexander Sorloth. Diego Simeone’s side lost to Espanyol in the opening game, leaving them three points behind leaders Barça, after which they went unbeaten in 13 league games.
Soros scored from close range 16 minutes later and 10 minutes later he drilled home his second, both goals scored by David Hanko.
After a shaky start to the season, Simeone’s side have improved.
Goalkeeper Jan Oblak told DAZN: “I think we’re doing well now, not only defensively but also offensively.”
“The truth is, we’ve been playing well, but we have to keep it up because the past doesn’t matter. It’s the future that matters.”
Coach Simeone: “If there’s no title, there’s no point in breaking records”
Atlético became the first team in La Liga history to score the first goal in each of their opening 14 games. However, Simeone said he was more concerned about trophies than records.
“I don’t give it much importance,” Simeone said.
“It would be nice if we could win the title with this, but we won’t. This is a compliment. Any further comments will depend on what we do against Barça.”
“We won the match we had to win, but now we have a very tough and difficult match. It’s an opponent we know very well and who has even more potential with the return of Pedri and Rafinha. We will face a very tough opponent.”
direct confrontation
The two clubs have met 246 times, with Barça winning 112 and Atlético 77, but 57 of those matches ended in draws.
Barcelona have been favored in recent La Liga matches, with the hosts aiming for their seventh win in their last eight league games.
However, Atletico faced Barcelona in December 2024 and won 2-1 with goals from Rodrigo de Paul and Sorloth.
barcelona team news
In-form midfielder Fermin López has missed his second consecutive game with a calf problem, while fellow midfielder Gabi and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen remain sidelined with injuries.
Defender Ronald Araujo missed Saturday’s match against Alaves due to illness and is likely to be absent again.
However, Barça will be a major reinforcement, with Pedri, Jules Kounde and Frenkie de Jong set to return, and Eric García expected to play despite being sent off at half-time against Alaves.
Barcelona’s expected starting lineup
Joan Garcia. Kunde, Eric Garcia, Kvarsi, Balde. De Jong, Pedri. Yamal, Olmo and Rafinha. lewandowski
Atlético team news
Midfielder Marcos Llorente has missed his third consecutive game with a thigh injury, while centre-back Robin Le Normand is unlikely to feature as he continues to recover from a knee problem.
Despite scoring twice against Ovideo, Sorloth may have to be content with making an impact off the bench, with Julián Álvarez expected to lead the line.
Atlético’s expected starting lineup
Oblak; Molina, Jimenez, Hanko, Ruggeri. Cardoso; Simeone, Barrios, Koke, Baena. alvarez
