The highlight fixture of the weekend in La Liga is a clash between the top two teams in the standings: Barcelona welcomes Atlético Madrid to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
Barcelona's recent domestic struggles have seen them squander a nine point lead atop the table. Now, equal on points with Diego Simeone's side, the game could have serious title race ramifications as Barcelona eclipses the halfway point of the campaign.
Simeone has achieved plenty in his time with Atlético; however, something that still evades him is being able to defeat Barcelona in La Liga at their home stadium, a feat Los Colchoneros haven't been able to achieve since 2006.
Barcelona have just one win in their last six league games and have lost their last two home matches against teams in the bottom half of the table. They now welcome a side that's on an 11 game winning streak in all competitions. Hansi Flick's side must return to form or else they'll relinquish the league lead to end the year.
Lamine Yamal's absence will have Flick thinking long and hard about his replacement. Barcelona have barely altered their starting lineup all month and given this is the last game before a 14 day break, Flick might be tempted to squeeze the most out of his regular starters to close out the year.
Here's how Barcelona could lineup vs. Atlético Madrid on Saturday, Dec. 21.
