Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are set to go head-to-head on top of Montjuic on Saturday night, in a match that one way or another will determine who finishes 2024 sitting in first place in the Spanish La Liga.
An outright winner will lead the league going into 2025, while a draw would open the door for Real Madrid to go top if they beat Sevilla at home on Sunday.
Both teams head into the game with very different vibes around their recent play, as Barca have been immersed in a crisis that culminated with a 1-0 loss at home to Leganes last weekend.
Barcelona players train ahead of their Spanish La Liga match against Atletico Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, December 20, 2024. /CFP
That result means the Catalans have lost three of their last six matches in La Liga, with one win and two draws giving them just five points from a 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 men have won their last seven games in La Liga and last 11 in all competitions, to draw level on points with Barcelona.
Not only have Los Colchoneros 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. Atletico beat Sparta Prague 6-0 away from home and romped to a 5-0 triumph in Valladolid, before netting four times at home against Sevilla.
Simeone's squad has a clean bill of health for the game, while in addition to being without Yamal, Barca coach Hansi Flick is still missing long-term absentees Andreas Christensen, Marc Andre-Ter Stegen and Marc Bernal. Ansu Fati is available after his latest muscle problem, however, and Ronald Araujo should get minutes after being cleared to play 10 days ago.
The central defender's availability would allow Flick to rest either Pau Cubarsi or Inigo Martinez, as the coach 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.