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82′ Alba is booked for dissent for the home side.
Piqué Yellow Card
82′ Pique pulls back Joao Felix on the charge and goes into the book.
80′ Messi tries a cutback from the free-kick to Dembele that is intercepted by Joao Felix. However, the Argentine tracks back to stop the Atletico counter by dispossessing Carrasco.
79′ Carrasco brings down Dembele on a run down the right flank. Messi will take the free-kick from a tight angle.
76′ There has been no way through for either side in the contest. Both keepers and backlines have been stout enough. It’s going to take something special to get the three points this afternoon.
SUB: O. Dembélé IN S. Dest OUT
75′ Dembele enters the action to provide further firepower for the home side in the final third.
SUB: Sergi Roberto IN Pedri OUT
75′ Sergi Roberto replaces Pedri in the Barcelona midfield.
74′ Messi clips a ball over the top for Alba to chase and he send a pass into the path of Griezmann in the box. The Frenchman shoots first time, but he scuffs his effort straight Oblak.
SUB: G. Kondogbia IN Á. Correa OUT
73′ Kondogbia comes on for the visitors to shore up the middle of the park.
72′ Correa and Pique battle for possession in a tussle in the Barcelona box. Both players go down, but the referee favours the home side and awards a free-kick before Suarez smashes home the loose ball.
71′ DISALLOWED GOAL! Araujo rises to head an Alba cross into the back of the net, but the defender is in an offside position. The flag is raised before he can celebrate.
69′ Llorente takes possession in the left-inside channel and he bends a cross to the back post, but no one in a red and white shirt attacks the delivery before it travels behind.
João Félix Saúl
67′ Simeone takes no chances with Saul, knowing that he is on his last warning. Joao Felix replaces the midfielder, who only entered the action for Lemar in the first half.
67′ CHANCE! Messi sends a sublime effort over the wall from the right edge of the box towards the bottom-left corner, but Oblak reaches with his right hand to palm it behind.
Koke Yellow Card
65′ Koke brings down Messi on the charge on the edge of the Atletico box. The skipper is booked and he hands the home side a free-kick in a dangerous spot.
63′ SAVE! Messi cuts back on his right foot and supplies a delightful cross into the box from the left flank. Pique attacks the delivery with a glancing header, but Oblak reads the danger to gather low to his left.
62′ WIDE Moriba latches on to a deflected cross from Alba in the box. He pulls the trigger on his left foot first time, but Savic acts quickly to divert it wide of the target.
60′ Saul nudges over Griezmann and has a nervy look at the referee. It’s only a free-kick to Barcelona, but Saul has to be extremely careful.
Ilaix Kourouma Yellow Card
58′ Moriba goes into the book for sticking out a leg and tripping Hermoso.
57′ Suarez pulls into space to latch onto Trippier’s cross, but he steers his strike into the hands of Ter Stegen. However, the Uruguayan is offside anyway.
55′ BLOCK! Moriba puts his body on the line at the back to deny Carrasco, who produces a blast on the half-volley. The Barca man holds firm to deflect it away from goal.
54′ Correa makes a good run into the left-inside channel, forcing Alba into a desperate dive to poke the ball behind for a corner.
52′ Correa performs his defensive duties well and earns his team a free-kick from a challenge from Lenglet.
50′ It has been a positive start to the second half by both sides. A moment of magic or a mistake could decide this contest.
48′ CHANCE! Correa tees up Suarez for a strike on the edge of the Barca box on the half-volley, but his effort just travels wide of the right post with Ter Stegen scrambling.
47′ OVER! Messi curls a dangerous free-kick into the box for Lenglet to attack, but he just cannot make clean contact on the stretch and nods his effort over the bar.
Felipe Yellow Card
46′ Felipe gives away a free-kick for bringing down Messi on the charge. Barca have a free-kick in a useful position.
46′ We’re back under way at Camp Nou.
SUB: R. Araújo IN Óscar Mingueza OUT
46′ Mingueza is withdrawn at the break for the home side and is replaced by Araujo.
Both teams have had their moments, but they have been a tad tense. With so much riding on the game it is understandable. The team that handles their composure in the second period could well be lifting the trophy on the final day of the season.
It’s goalless at the break in the LaLiga contest between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou. The visitors have had decent opportunities in front of goal, but poor finishing and fine work from Marc-Andre ter Stegen has denied them the lead. Lionel Messi produced Barca’s best opening, but saw his effort brilliantly saved Jan Oblak. It’s all to play for in the second half.
45′ + 4′ HALF-TIME: BARCELONA 0-0 ATLETICO MADRID
45′ + 2′ Simeone will be frustrated with his side’s finishing this afternoon. They’ve had the better of the opportunities, but have not been able to punish Barca.
45′ There will be four minutes of added time.
45′ OVER! Felipe snatches at a low cross in from the right flank from Correa following an Atletico corner and blazes a left-footed strike over the bar.
43′ Carrasco is played into space down the left flank and he produces a marauding run into the Barcelona box. He cuts back to shoot on his right foot, but he gets crowded out and his eventual strike is blocked by Pique.
41′ CLOSE! Messi weaves his way brilliantly through the Atletico defence, skipping past three challenges in a run from the right flank. He pulls the trigger on a left-footed strike that Oblak stretches and just manages to turn wide of the right post.
39′ Messi tries to send Griezmann down the left-inside channel, but the Frenchman moves a fraction too soon and is caught offside.
38′ Atletico are finding holes in the Barcelona defence and are looking the more likely side to break the deadlock.
37′ SAVE! Ter Stegen does brilliantly to deny a powerful left-footed strike from Carrasco low to his right. His next action is more impressive as he springs to his feet to push the rebound behind away from the lurking presence of Suarez. Top keeping from the German.
Saúl Yellow Card
35′ Saul pulls back Messi on the charge down the right flank and goes into the book.
34′ CHANCE! Suarez takes a neat touch down the left flank and bursts into the box. He does not have a great deal of support so he goes for a strike from a tight angle that is repelled by Ter Stegen.
33′ SAVE! Atletico stretch the Barcelona defence down the left flank as Koke releases Carrasco. The Belgian cuts a low ball back for Llorente to strike, but his scuffed effort is well saved by Ter Stegen with one hand before Pique clears the danger.
SUB Ilaix Kourouma IN Sergio Busquets OUT
32′ Moriba replaces Busquets for the home side, which will likely force De Jong into a deeper role in front of the back four.
31′ No Busquets is struggling. The Spaniard will have to make way here. He perhaps should not have returned to the field.
30′ Busquets returns to the field for the home side, which will be a relief for Koeman as there is no direct replacement on the bench.
29′ SAVE! A quick ball over the top from De Jong finds Griezmann in space on the edge of the Atletico box. The Frenchman shoots on his left foot, but sends his effort straight at Oblak.
28′ Busquets has to leave the field temporarily for further treatment and a concussion test.
27′ Savic and Busquets have a clash of heads, leaving the Barcelona midfielder down on the deck in need of treatment for a bloody nose.
26′ Carrasco gets the better of Mingueza in the middle of the park and is pulled back by the Barca defender. The visitors get the free-kick.
25′ Barca try to play their way through the Atletico backline on the edge of the box, but the red and white shirts hold a firm line to halt the home side.
22′ Pique and Suarez collide for the second time of the game and the Atletico forward wins a free-kick inside the Barca half.
20′ Barcelona are on their mettle at the back and Koke’s cross is claimed by Ter Stegen at the back post with a solid reach.
19′ CHALLENGE! Lenglet makes a vital intervention in the box to deny Correa. Hermoso makes a good run into the left-inside channel to latch on to Saul’s offload. He works a low cross into the middle that Correa attacks, but Lenglet sticks out a leg to divert his strike wide of the left post.
16′ Messi works the ball short to Dest to flick a cross into the box, but Felipe guides it away from Pique.
15′ Hermoso brings down Dest on the charge down the right flank and gives away a free-kick in a dangerous spot.
SUB: Saúl IN T. Lemar OUT
13′ Lemar is forced off with an ankle injury and is replaced by Saul on the left flank.
13′ Lemar is struggling with an injury and may have to make way for the visitors.
12′ Carrasco has to be alert at the back to poke Messi’s throughball for the run of Dest in the right-inside channel behind for a corner.
10′ SAVE! Suarez lifts an effort over the wall from the resulting free-kick, but he curls his strike straight into the hands of Ter Stegen.
9′ Suarez is brought down on the edge of the Barcelona box by Pique and the referee awards a free-kick to the visitors.
7′ Barca opt for the short free-kick, which is disrupted by the visitors with relative ease.
6′ Messi wins a free-kick just inside the Atletico half after being fouled by Hermoso.
5′ Barca are trying to get their foot on the ball to establish a rhythm in their possession game in the Atletico half.
3′ Lemar makes a break at the Barca defence and shoots with power on his right foot from the left-inside channel, but Ter Stegen saves his effort with ease.
1′ We’re underway at Camp Nou.
Barcelona have lost just one of their 21 last LaLiga games against Atletico Madrid (W14 D6), 0-1 in the reserve fixture this season. The last season the Blaugranas lost home and away in the league against Atletico was 2005/06 (1-2 at Vicente Calderon and 1-3 at Camp Nou).
Atletico have made two changes to their side that overcame Eibar in their lasting out. Felipe returns to the line-up in place of Gimenez, who drops to the bench. Simeone can operate with a back three or back four using the flexibility of Trippier and Carrasco. Koke returns to the fold to replace Kondogbia in the middle of the park alongside Llorente.
Barcelona have made only one change to their side that beat Valencia during the week. Mingueza gets the start in the back three alongside Lenglet and Pique in place of Araujo, who drops to the bench. Pedri and De Jong sit in behind Griezmann and Messi in the final third.
ATLETICO MADRID SUBS: Ivo Grbic, Jose Gimenez, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Lucas Torreira, Joao Felix, Saul Niguez, Renan Lodi, Hector Herrera, Moussa Dembele, Vitolo, Sime Vrsaljko.
ATLETICO MADRID (4-4-2): Jan Oblak; Kieran Trippier, Stefan Savic, Felipe, Mario Hermoso; Yannick Carrasco, Koke, Marcos Llorente, Thomas Lemar; Luis Suarez, Angel Correa.
SUBS: Ronald Araujo, Miralem Pjanic, Martin Braithwaite, Ousmane Dembele, Riqui Puig, Neto, Trincao, Sergi Roberto, Samuel Umtiti, Junior Firpo, Ilaix Moriba, Arnau Tenas.
BARCELONA (3-1-4-2): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Oscar Mingueza, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet; Sergio Busquets; Sergino Dest, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Jordi Alba; Antoine Griezmann, Lionel Messi.
Atletico have held top spot in LaLiga since the beginning of November and cannot afford to relinquish their advantage. Diego Simeone knows that a win over Barca would effectively end the Catalan club’s late surge for the crown, therefore, there is plenty of incentive for Los Rojiblancos to raise the level of their game to defeat them on the road. Atletico beat Eibar last time out, recovering from a 2-1 loss to Athletic Bilbao. Only Atletico’s best will be good enough today.
Barcelona bounced back from a surprise defeat to Granada by edging out Valencia last time out by a 3-2 margin. It was a close contest at the Mestalla, but Ronald Koeman’s men were able to respond after going behind to take the three points courtesy of a brace from Lionel Messi and a strike from Antoine Griezmann. The Catalan club have a huge opportunity to surpass Atletico at the top of the table with a victory this afternoon to shake up the title race.
Good afternoon and welcome to the live commentary of the LaLiga clash between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou.
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90′ + 3′ FULL-TIME: BARCELONA 0-0 ATLETICO MADRID
SUMMARY
POSSESSION 59% 40%
DISCIPLINE