The Catalan giants will host La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid in the showpiece clash of the final weekend of action in Spain’s top flight. Atleti are currently leading the Blaugrana by three points and are in pole position to be champions of Spain.
Atleti can become champions if they avoid defeat at the Camp Nou after the two recorded a 0-0 back in January at the Vicente Calderon. They missed a great opportunity to secure the title but wasted several opportunities in a 1-1 draw at home against Malaga. Barcelona also faltered when they drew 0-0 away at Elche in their last outing which makes the clash on Saturday the deciding game regarding where the title ends up.
The big news for the clash on Saturday is the return to fitness of Diego Costa from a hamstring problem. The 24 year old Brazilian-born striker has scored 36 goals in all competitions for Atleti this season and is expected to be partnered upfront with former Barcelona striker David Villa. This is a big boost for Diego Simeone’s men which could help push them over the line. Simeone may be without Cristian Rodriguez who is struggling with a hamstring injury but the rest of the squad is fit and ready to go.
The past couple of days has been bitter sweet for Barcelona with the official departure of ‘Captain Tarzan’ Carles Puyol and then the announcement that Lionel Messi has reached an agreement over a new deal ending the speculations surrounding his future. This announcement could never have come at a better time for the Catalans because this can give the entire club a huge lift and also create a buzz among the fans. It is possibly the last game as Barcelona manager for Gerardo Martino following the resignation of Luis Enrique from Celta Vigo, who is expected to be named the new Barcelona manager in the coming weeks.
The Barcelona players have revealed their love and admiration for their Argentine manager which means they should be looking to put in a vintage performance to send off their current manager style. However Martino may have to go into battle against his fellow Argentine without Jordi Alba(hamstring injury) and Neymar(toe injury) who remain doubtful for the clash while the fitness of Gerard Pique is still in question.
For the neutrals it would be great to see Atletico Madrid break the dominance of the big two(Barcelona and Real Madrid) which hasn’t been done since 2002 when Rafael Benitez led Valencia to La Liga glory. It hasn’t been a vintage season from Barcelona by any means but they are still in the race. After their elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Atleti, the Camp Nou crowd would get their revenge by celebrating another successful La Liga season.
Yashiema Love
Senior Contributor
GIVEMESPORT Writing Academy
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