Barcelona are set to play Atlético Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final. The match is at the Metropolitano stadium in Madrid. It is the sixth match this season between the two clubs. The match is important because it grants access to the Champions League semi-finals.
Atlético Madrid are favourites, having won the first leg. They won the first leg by 2-0. The match is expected to be exciting due to the tension typical of a Champions League quarter-final.
Barcelona’s Strengths and Atlético’s ‘Cholismo’
Barcelona are considered one of the best teams in the world. They are known for building play and scoring goals. Barcelona have a strong, bright, and talented attacker: the eighteen-year-old Lamine Yamal.
Atlético, in contrast, have a gritty, defensive, and pragmatic approach. This approach is known as cholismo. Cholismo is named after Diego “el Cholo” Simeone, who has coached Atlético since 2011.
Atlético also have high-level players. Julián Álvarez, the Argentinian attacker, stands out. Álvarez was bought from Manchester City for 75 million euros two years ago.
Yamal’s Confidence and Barcelona’s Hope
Simeone and Yamal attended press conferences. They both seemed confident and determined in their abilities and their team’s abilities. Yamal said he hoped Simeone would do him a favour and field a player for him to play one-on-one against.
Yamal is good at dribbling. He dribbles continuously, without fear of risking the play, and creates goal chances alone. Yamal has completed 127 dribbles, the most in the top five European leagues. The second-highest player has 30 fewer.
Drawing Inspiration from LeBron James
Some Barcelona players, including Yamal, are sharing photos referencing LeBron James’ 2016 NBA Finals comeback. James won the NBA finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They overturned a 1-3 deficit to 4-3. This had never happened before.
Barcelona have never eliminated Atlético Madrid in a Champions League knockout stage. They faced each other in the quarter-finals in 2014 and 2016. Atlético progressed both times.
Sources close to Barcelona say the players are sending each other memes. Dani Olmo published one such meme on Snapchat.
Barcelona’s League Form
Barcelona are performing well in the league. They have scored 84 goals in 31 matches. They are close to winning the title for the second time.