Atlético hosts Barcelona on Tuesday in the second leg of their quarterfinal, hoping to return to the quarterfinals in Europe’s top club competition for the first time since 2017. They won the first game 2-0 at Barcelona last week.
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Atlético coach Diego Simeone spoke on Monday and did not rule out Oblak’s return to the squad even though he has not played since the team’s 5-2 victory over Tottenham in the round of 16 on March 10. The goalkeeper has been practicing with the team over the past few days and is reportedly considered fit to start.
“I haven’t told the players yet who will start,” Simeone said, adding that he probably won’t make any announcements about the starting lineup until closer to game time on Tuesday.
Oblak suffered a muscle injury in the match against Tottenham. Argentine goalkeeper Juan Musso has been his replacement since then, conceding 10 goals in six starts, including two in Atlético’s 2-1 loss to Sevilla in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Whoever starts will have to face a prolific Barcelona attack that includes the likes of Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford. Absent from Barcelona will be Raphinha, who is still out due to a hamstring injury.
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This will be the fifth match between Atlético and Barcelona in less than two months. Barcelona won 2-1 in Madrid in a league match on April 4, and the teams had already met twice in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, when Atlético won 4-0 at home and then advanced to the final despite a 3-0 loss at Barcelona in the second leg.
This time, Atlético will have home advantage in the second leg, when nearly 70,000 Atlético fans are expected to flock to the Metropolitano stadium. Some 3,000 Barcelona fans will travel to the Spanish capital.
“We are convinced of what we need and we will play the game we need to advance,” Simeone said. “We know the opponent we face. We are aware of their quality, but we also know our objective, which is to advance.”
Atlético were eliminated by city rival Real Madrid in the semifinals of the 2016-17 season. They also lost two finals to Real Madrid, in 2014 and 2016. They never won the Champions League.
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Five-time European champions Barcelona reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last year, when they were eliminated by eventual runners-up Inter Milan.
The team that advances on Tuesday will face either Arsenal or Sporting Lisbon in the semifinals. Arsenal won the first leg 1-0 in Lisbon last week. The return match in England will be on Wednesday.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer