Barcelona dey face one serious test dis weekend as dem dey travel go Atletico Madrid ground for La Liga match. Na big wahala for Barca as dem dey pursue back-to-back La Liga crown, and dis match na one of six wey dem go play against Atletico dis season. Two more matches still dey come for Champions League quarterfinal.
But Barca problem don increase because star forward Raphinha no go play for dis match. Di Brazilian wey don contribute 26 goals for all competitions dis season suffer hamstring injury during Brazil match against France on March 26. Na only friendly match, but di injury don sideline am for about five weeks.
Di timing no good at all for Barcelona. Raphinha don miss 13 matches dis season through various injuries, and Barca only win seven of those matches. Dem lose five and draw one. Even di 4-0 defeat wey Barca suffer for Atletico ground for Copa del Rey na one of di matches wey Raphinha miss.
Coach Hansi Flick now get to find replacement for di winger. Marcus Rashford na obvious candidate to replace am, while Ferran Torres and Fermín López fit play for left wing too. But di absence of Raphinha go affect Barca attack as di man don score six goals and assist two for im last six matches before di international break.
For di other side, Real Madrid own wahala don make La Liga title race more interesting. Real Madrid suffer surprise 2-1 defeat away to Real Mallorca on Saturday, and dis don complicate their position against Barcelona for di title race.
Spanish newspaper AS don assess Real Madrid players after di Mallorca match. Dem describe Camavinga performance as disastrous, say im no get precision for attacking control and no return quick for defence. For Arda Güler, di newspaper note say im play some good passes for attacking third, especially one pass to Mbappé wey create chance, but im no fit impose im authority.
Ibrahim Díaz get starting place despite Mbappé return, but im pose no threat. According to di newspaper, im focus too much on defensive transitions and lack wetin Arbeloa sometimes demand: boldness and chance creation.
Mbappé get two shots wey goalkeeper Leo Roman save for first half, and im look dangerous whenever im get di ball, but im no score. Bellingham look tired for di thirty minutes wey im play, while Vinícius try in vain after coming on as substitute. Real Madrid clearly miss am, though di team benefit from Militão return and im goal.
For Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona match today, di venue na Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid with capacity of 70,000. Barcelona dey first place for La Liga with 73 points while Atletico Madrid dey fourth with 57 points.
Di match na big one for weekend because Barcelona fit move closer to La Liga title with win after Real Madrid loss to Mallorca. For Atletico Madrid, dis match na least important one since dem too far behind di top but still comfortable for fourth place. Their focus dey on next Wednesday first leg of Champions League quarterfinals.
For Barcelona, di outlook different small. If dem win today, dem fit take control of La Liga title race with seven points margin, so dem dey put everything. But without Raphinha, di task don become more difficult. Di winger injury mean say Hansi Flick no go have am for dis month, including both legs of Champions League tie with Atletico.
Di match go show wetin Barcelona get for depth as dem face one of their toughest opponents for difficult ground. Atletico Madrid no be team wey you fit underrate, especially for their home ground where dem don already beat Barcelona 4-0 dis season.
All eyes dey on di Metropolitano as two Spanish giants prepare for another chapter for their long rivalry. With title implications and Champions League preparation for background, dis match go shape di rest of di season for both teams.
Do you have a news tip for NNN? Please email us at editor @ nnn.ng
