Barcelona Faces Atletico Madrid in Key La Liga Match
Barcelona, leading La Liga by four points over Real Madrid, will host fourth-placed Atletico Madrid in a significant league encounter. The match comes ahead of the teams' Champions League quarterfinal first leg next week at Camp Nou, with the sides scheduled to meet three times in their next four games.
Atletico Madrid trail the leaders by 16 points but hold a 13-point advantage over fifth-placed Real Betis. In recent head-to-head matchups, Barcelona have won four of the last five games against Atletico, including a 3-1 victory in the first leg of this season's La Liga. Atletico, however, delivered a 4-0 home win over Barcelona in the February 2026 Copa del Rey semifinal first leg. Barcelona remain unbeaten in La Liga away games against Atletico since October 2021.
Barcelona enter the fixture on an eight-game unbeaten streak, with their most recent result a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano. All four of Barcelona's La Liga defeats this season have occurred on the road.
Team news sees Atletico without suspended players Marcos Llorente and Johnny Cardoso, and injured Pablo Barrios. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak, Marc Pubill and Alexander Sorloth are uncertain. Barcelona will miss Raphinha, who is sidelined until early May, along with injured Andreas Christensen and Frenkie de Jong, though de Jong may return for the Champions League match. Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde have resumed training.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid face Mallorca, who sit 18th with 28 points and at risk of relegation, at 6:45 p.m. Afghanistan time.
Know more about this story?
If you have additional information or believe something is inaccurate, let us know. Your tips help us stay accurate.
Sources (1)
More in International
Iranian Foreign Minister: End of Conflicts Only Possible with 'Definitive and Sustainable' Conditions
Uzbek Official Says Afghanistan Can Become 'Connecting Bridge' Between Asia and Russia
U.S. Court Sentences 20-Year-Old to Prison for Plot to Join Daesh Khorasan in Afghanistan
Russian Foreign Ministry Describes NATO as 'Tool to Serve Interests of Wealthy Western Countries' on 77th Anniversary
ReliableIranian Foreign Minister: End of Conflicts Only Possible with 'Definitive and Sustainable' Conditions
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that ending current conflicts requires 'definitive and sustainable' conditions for a permanent end to the illegal war, while appreciating Pakistan's mediation and accusing U.S. media of distortion. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned of retaliation against U.S. interests for escalations and advocated for regional security without foreign involvement.
ReliableUzbek Official Says Afghanistan Can Become 'Connecting Bridge' Between Asia and Russia
Uzbek official Eldor Aripov stated that Afghanistan could become a 'connecting bridge' between Central and South Asia and Russia, fostering new transit routes that benefit the region. The remarks were made in an interview with Vesti on the sidelines of a Valdai meeting in Termez.
ReliableU.S. Court Sentences 20-Year-Old to Prison for Plot to Join Daesh Khorasan in Afghanistan
A U.S. federal court in Colorado sentenced 20-year-old Hamza Muskur, a resident whose family hails from Afghanistan, to three years in prison for plotting to provide material support to Daesh Khorasan by traveling to Afghanistan. Muskur was arrested at Denver airport in 2023 after communicating with undercover FBI agents about joining the group.
ReliableRussian Foreign Ministry Describes NATO as 'Tool to Serve Interests of Wealthy Western Countries' on 77th Anniversary
Russia's Foreign Ministry marked NATO's 77th anniversary by calling it a "tool to serve the interests of wealthy Western countries" and citing "disastrous" consequences from its actions in Afghanistan and other nations.