Atletico Madrid v Barcelona: Champions League match preview
A look ahead to Wednesday night's Champions League quarter-final second leg at Vicente Calderon
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After a tense first leg the top two in La Liga have everything to play for. Barcelona continue to trail Atletico by a single point in the league after they both won on Saturday, but will hope their greater Champions League experience will see them through.
Atletico have the advantage of a vital away goal, courtesy of a stunning strike from Diego, so the Catalans will have to score if they are to progress – something they failed to do when the sides met at Vicente Calderon earlier this season.
This match is not just the second leg of a crucial Champions League tie – it is the second of three fixtures that could shape the two sides’ seasons. They meet again, at the Nou Camp, on the final day of the Spanish League season, a game which could well decide the title.
KICK-OFF: Wednesday, 7.45pm
PAST THREE MEETINGS…
Barcelona 1 (Neymar) Atletico Madrid 1 (Diego), Champions League, April 2014
Atletico Madrid 0 Barcelona 0, La Liga, January 2014
Barcelona 0 Atletico Madrid 0, Super Cup, August 2013
STATS…
The two clubs have drawn all four of their fixtures this season, sharing just four goals in the four matches.
Barcelona have won six of their last seven matches, Atletico seven of their last eight. The only game either of them did not win in that time was the drawn first leg.
Barcelona’s Xavi has completed an astonishing 936 passes so far in this season’s Champions League. That’s the most in the competition and more than double the number of Atletico’s most prolific passer Gabi, who has completed 455.
Both sides have scored 21 goals in their nine games in this season’s Champions League - the same number as Bayern Munich, and fewer than only Real Madrid and PSG.
Atletico have scored five goals from outside the area in this season’s competition, more than any other club.
Atletico have the best defensive record in both the Champions League (where they have conceded just 5 goals in 9 games) and La Liga (22 in 32).
ODDS…
Find odds using Betfair.com – always write them as decimals.
Atletico to win: 3.4
Barcelona to win: 2.15
Draw:.3.3
TV: Live on Sky Sports 2 at 7.45pm (when match starts, not when programme starts), highlights on Sky Sports 1 at 12.15am Thursday
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