Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez faces a crucial reunion with former club Barcelona
(Picture: AP)Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez will this afternoon hope to inflict a decisive blow upon Barcelona’s LaLiga title chances as he prepares to face his old team in a critical showdown.
Leaders Atletico travel to the Camp Nou for a crunch clash this afternoon sitting just two points ahead of their third-place rivals with only four matches left to play this season.
Beaten Champions League semi-finalists Real Madrid - who host fourth-place Sevilla on Sunday night - currently separate the two clubs in second, level on points with Barca but in front on head-to-head record.
Atletico head to Catalonia with top scorer Suarez - now fit after a leg muscle injury - ready to feature on familiar turf after missing Atletico’s 1-0 win over Barcelona in Madrid back in late November.
Defenders Renan Lodi and Jose Maria Gimenez were Diego Simeone’s only previous injury doubts, though both players have made the trip.
The injury situation is a familiar one for Barcelona, meanwhile.
Philippe Coutinho remains sidelined with an ongoing knee problem that has prevented him from playing at all in 2021, while Ansu Fati - out since November - this week underwent a check-up arthroscopy in his left knee.
However, Danish forward Martin Braithwaite was named in Ronald Koeman’s initial 23-man squad for the match against Atletico after recovering from an ankle sprain sustained in training last month.
Confirmed teams
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Mingueza, Piqué, Lenglet; Dest, De Jong, Busquets, Pedri, Jordi Alba; Messi, Griezmann.
Barcelona squad list: Ter Stegen, Dest, Pique, R. Araujo, Sergio, Griezmann, Pjanic, Braithwaite, Messi, O. Dembele, Riqui Puig, Neto, Lenglet, Pedri, Trincao, Jordi Alba, S. Roberto, F. De Jong, Umtiti, Junior, Ilaix Moriba, O. Mingueza, Arnau Tenas
Atletico Madrid XI: Oblak; Trippier, Felipe, Savic, Hermoso; Lemar, Koke, Marcos Llorente, Carrasco; Correa, Luis Suárez.
Atletico Madrid squad list: Oblak, Grbic, Trippier, Savic, Gimenez, Lodi, Felipe, Hermoso, Vrsaljko, Koke, Llorente, Kondogbia, Torreira, Saul, Herrera, Vitolo, Lemar, Suarez, Felix, Carrasco, Correa, Dembele
