Atletico Madrid will line up against Barcelona for a place in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final. The two teams will meet for the first time in this competition in the first quarter-final of the Spanish Champions League. Each team had to return to the tournament differently, including an Atletico team that will be missing several key players due to positive COVID-19 cases. The knockout stage format has been optimized to ensure that the tournament ends in a timely manner, so it is tied for the rest of the course. Here’s what you need to know:
Information display
Date: Friday 21 August | Time: 12 pm ET
Position: San Mamés Stadium – Bilbao, Spain
Live broadcast: CBS All-Access
storylines
Atletico Madrid: They got a hit before this. The team had to stop training due to a series of positive COVID-19 cases. The club will be without Deyna Castellanos, Leicy Santos, Laia Aleixandri, Charlyn Corral and Silvia Meseguer. To make matters worse, Ludmila will miss this match through disqualification. It will be a difficult hill to climb, which is why the club made several transfers during the break, recently adding Hedvig Lindahl, Alia Guagni, Merel van Dongen, Jade Moore, Turid Knaak and Evelyn Laurent to the squad. The team will likely look to Angela Sosa to try and generate some offense.
Barcelona: The Catalan giants enter the quarter-finals in less scrupulous circumstances. Barcelona are reigning Super Cup champions and 2019 Champions League runners-up. The team have had the advantage of routine training and some scrimmages in preparation for the tournament, and will likely be in more consistent form as the quarter-finals approach. . The knockout stage format could be an advantage as the team have done a quick job of Atletico in previous matches. The squad will likely look to players like Alexia Putellas, Jenni Hermoso and Nigerian national team Asisat Oshoala to set the pace early.
Prediction
Look for Norwegian national team Caroline Graham Hansen to lead the way as Barcelona facilitate the work of their Spanish counterparts. Choose: Barcelona 3, Atletico Madrid, 0
