Saturday's Barca-Atletico Madrid to decide who will lead La Liga into 2025

MADRID, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid go head-to-head on top of Montjuic on Saturday night in a game that one way or another will determine who finishes 2024 top of La Liga.

Put simply, the winners will lead the classification going into 2025, while a draw would open the door for Real Madrid to go top if it beats Sevilla on Sunday.

Both teams go into the game with very different sensations about their play, with Barca immersed in a crisis, which culminated with it losing 1-0 at home to Leganes last weekend.

That result means it has lost three of its last six matches in La Liga, with one win and two draws giving it just five points from the last possible 18, and to add injury to disappointment, teenage sensation Lamine Yamal is out with an ankle injury.

Things are very different in the Atletico camp, where Diego Simeone's side has won its last seven games in La Liga and its last 11 in all competitions to draw level on points with Barca.

Not only has Atletico been winning games, but with the partnership between Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez starting to shine, the team has also scored a lot of goals, beating Sparta Prague 6-0 away from home and also triumphing 5-0 in Valladolid, before netting four times at home to Sevilla.

Simeone has a clean bill of health in his squad for the game, while, as well as being without Yamal, Barca coach Hansi Flick is still missing long-term absentees Andreas Christensen, Marc Andre-Ter Stegen and Marc Bernal, although Ansu Fati is available after his latest muscle problem and Ronald Araujo should get minutes after being cleared to play 10 days ago.

The central defender would allow Flick to rest either Pau Cubarsi or Inigo Martinez, as Flick doesn't seem to have much faith in Eric Garcia, who was arguably at fault for Leganes' winning goal last week.

Barca will have to tighten up considerably when defending set pieces against Atletico, while Marcos Llorente, Griezmann, Alvarez and Samuel Lino will also test their high-defensive line, which has looked vulnerable in recent matches and this game has to be seen as an important test for Flick and his tactics. ■