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Simeone and Atlético showed they are ready for UCL battle with Barça

· Yahoo Sports

MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 04: Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona reacts as Diego Simeone, head coach of Atletico de Madrid during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Atletico de Madrid and FC Barcelona at Riyadh Air Metropolitano on April 04, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Atlético de Madrid lost Sunday’s battle with FC Barcelona in LaLiga, but the 2-1 defeat at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano might serve as vital preparation for the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie that awaits these two teams.

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Atlético went ahead through Giuliano Simeone’s sharp strike in the 39th minute, but Marcus Rashford responded with a cool finish of his own only three minutes later. Nico Gonzalez was sent off in first-half stoppage time when he incurred a straight red card for denying Lamine Yamal a clear goalscoring opportunity, but VAR “corrected” referee Mateo Busquets Ferrer when he tried to send off Gerard Martín for a reckless stamp on Thiago Almada’s ankle in the 47th minute.

Atlético defended bravely for the next 40 minutes until Robert Lewandowski bundled the winner past Juan Musso after João Cancelo’s cross proved too hot for the keeper to handle. The result moves Barcelona closer to a third league title in four years, and Atleti will remain fourth in the table for at least another week. But the Colchoneros will be reinforced, rested and ready to try again at Camp Nou on Wednesday in the Champions League’s last eight.

Let’s dig into some takeaways from an intense match at the Metropolitano.

Atleti caught Barça by surprise

One of Atleti’s primary goals in Saturday’s game — a fixture that meant relatively little in the grand scheme of the season — was to wear down Barça in advance of the Champions League meeting in three days’ time. Diego Simeone knew Hansi Flick would have to play close to a full-strength side as the Blaugrana tried to separate themselves from Real Madrid; earlier on Saturday, Los Blancos had suffered a surprise loss to Mallorca at Son Moix.

If Diario Sport in Barcelona’s reporting on Sunday is any indication, Atlético have sowed doubt — even some fear — ahead of that first leg on Wednesday.

“The Barcelona dressing room fears a war in the Champions League,” wrote Sport’s deputy director Lluís Miguelsanz.

An Atleti side that made seven changes relative to last month’s Madrid Derby went nearly blow-for-blow in the first half with a Barcelona side that rested only Jules Koundé among its gala starters. Until Nico’s red card, Atleti had 47 percent possession to Barça’s 53 and produced 0.92 expected goals to the visitors’ 1.37.

The second half is what appears to have Barcelona spooked. Miguelsanz wrote that Cancelo and Dani Olmo were pushed to their “physical limit,” while midfielder Marc Bernal picked up a muscle injury that will rule him out of the first leg. Atleti had only 17 percent of the ball in the final 45 minutes, but a lineup packed with substitutes and youth-teamers kept mighty Barça at bay until Lewandowski scored a fortunate winner with his shoulder.

“In the (Barcelona) locker room, they are fully convinced that they have to end the tie in the first leg because, otherwise, anything can happen at Atlético’s stadium,” Miguelsanz wrote. That will be Atleti’s next challenge: getting out of Camp Nou with the tie still in the balance.

Tau and Javi the latest to debut

Cholo Simeone now has handed first-team debuts to four players from Atlético’s academy setup this season. Not bad for a guy who “doesn’t play the kids.”

Simeone handed debuts to midfielders Javi Morcillo and Taufik Seidu as Johnny Cardoso and Marcos Llorente missed the game suspension. Once Busquets Ferrer rescinded Martín’s red card, chasing a result no longer made sense; giving Taufik and Morcillo 22 and 29 minutes respectively was the best way to get a look at them in the first-team setup against a top opponent.

Taufik, 18, is one of the gems of Atlético’s academy. Born in Ghana, Taufik moved to Spain when he was five years old and joined the academy at age nine. He debuted in the UEFA Youth League as a 15-year-old and turned down an approach from Real Madrid to sign his first professional contract two years ago. He impressed Simeone in preseason last summer and has started 18 of 20 games in Tercera RFEF for Atleti C.

Morcillo, 20, joined Atlético Madrileño from promotion rivals Sabadell last summer. He has been competing all season for a starting spot under Fernando Torres; he was named to the coach’s lineup against Real Murcia on Sunday, less than 24 hours after his first-team debut. In 25 appearances in Segunda B, Morcillo has provided one assist and drawn praise for his defensive instincts and out-of-possession attributes.

Along with Obed Vargas — who ran a team-high 7.5 miles on Saturday — these young midfielders showed discipline and character when called upon against Barça. Morcillo was seen talking some trash to Lewandowski; Taufik picked up a late yellow card for a shove on Pedri (another who had to play all 90 minutes). These were encouraging minutes for all of them.

Nico’s future gets that much more uncertain

Nico’s first half on Saturday was an adventure. And it’s going to help the club in its quest not to pay Juventus the €32 million buy obligation clause included in his loan contract.

First, Nico was shown a yellow card for catching the ball in what I can only surmise is a homage to the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba. If Ronald Araújo completed this pass, Lamine Yamal was away.

Lamine cooked Nico — who, in fairness, is not a left-back by trade — with a nutmeg and a long pass for Fermín López that produced a good chance for the visitors. Fermín had another chance minutes before when he bested Nico for pace 1v1. Barça continued to exploit the mismatch and got Nico sent off when he hauled down Lamine on the edge of the penalty area.

On the ball, it wasn’t all bad for Nico, who set up Álex Baena to assist Antoine Griezmann for what would have been the opening goal…but the Frenchman missed the target. Nonetheless, this match doesn’t do Nico many favors as his playing future hangs in the balance between Madrid and Turin.

For denying a goalscoring opportunity, Nico is in line to receive a three-game suspension that would rule him out of league fixtures against Sevilla and Elche in addition to the Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad on April 18. If upheld, that means Nico would have to play more than 45 minutes in every league game he is eligible to play until the end of the season to trigger the buy obligation.

I think Atlético will move forward with plans to buy Nico for roughly 50 percent of the agreed-upon fee, regardless of his poor display against Barça. But would that ~€15 million be better spent elsewhere than on a player who doesn’t really raise the squad’s ceiling? The debate isn’t going to stop after Saturday.

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