MADRID (AP) — Barcelona and Atlético Madrid will meet in La Liga this weekend in a preview of the Champions League quarterfinal series.
This match will be the first of three matches between Barcelona and Atlético to be played in 10 days. The Spanish rivals will play each other five times within two months. The two sides also met in the Copa del Rey semi-finals in February and March, with Atlético advancing to the final with a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Champions League matches will be held in Barcelona on Wednesday and in Madrid on April 14th. Barcelona are aiming to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the second consecutive season, while Atlético are aiming to return to the top four for the first time since 2017.
In Saturday’s league match, Barcelona will be looking to maintain at least a four-point lead over leaders Real Madrid, while Atlético, who trail Barcelona by 16 points, will be looking to overtake Villarreal and return to third place. Atlético remain one point behind Villarreal.
Real Madrid visited relegation-threatened Mallorca early Saturday morning. Real defeated Atlético 3-2 at home in their last game before the international break.
Other matches
On Saturday, Real Betis host Espanyol, who have not won in 12 games this year.
seville Manager Matias Almeida fired They visit bottom-placed Oviedo on Sunday before the international break. Sevilla have won just one of their last eight matches.
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Barcelona will play against Atletico without striker Rafinha, but Rafinha injured his right hamstring while playing and will be out for about five weeks. Brazil In a friendly match against France.
Raphinha scored two goals in Barcelona’s 7-2 victory over Newcastle in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, but will miss both games against Atletico in the last eight.
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Real Madrid forwards Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior faced off in the friendly match between Brazil and France during the break. Mbappé, La Liga’s leading scorer, scored one goal in France’s 2-1 win over Brazil, helping France return to the top of the FIFA rankings.
Vinicius was unable to find the back of the net and was criticized by many for his lackluster performance for Brazil. He scored twice for Madrid in the derby against Atlético before the break.
off the field
Barcelona star Lamine Yamal ends tough match for Spain with support from Spanish fans Repeatedly chanting anti-Muslim songs During the friendly match against Egypt in Barcelona on Tuesday.
Yamal, who is Muslim, issued a statement on Wednesday calling the fan chants at RCDE Stadium disrespectful and intolerable. He said it didn’t matter that the chants were not directed at him personally.
“I understand that not all fans are like this, but for those who advocate things like this, using religion as a mockery on the field makes you look ignorant and racist,” he wrote on Instagram. “Football is about having fun and cheering, not about disrespecting people for who they are or what they believe.”
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