Atlético Madrid comes to Barcelona for a La Liga BBVA fixture on Saturday evening. The match between Atlético and Barcelona will be their first of the new league season.
Barca center back Gerard Pique is back in full training following his calf and hamstring injury and after the defensive frailties against Valencia, it is touch and go as to whether the Spaniard will make the starting XI. Alexis Sanchez and Andres Iniesta are still sidelined with hamstring injuries. Meanwhile, Dutch midfielder Ibrahim Afellay damaged his cruciate knee ligament in training and will miss an estimated six months of the season.
Atlético Madrid's Diego Godin, of Uruguay, looks to play a prominent role in their next fixture against Barcelona. (Jasper Juinen/Getty Images Europe)
Atletico Madrid is still sweating over the fitness of Diego Forlán, who completed light training on Thursday but it is unsure whether the Uruguayan will feature against Barcelona. However, the Madrid outfit has been boosted by the return of Diego Godin, a recent subject of transfer talk with Chelsea, and has recovered from his injury and is expected to make the squad against Barcelona.
The match will be able to be viewed in the United States on ESPN3, starting at 4 p.m. EST. (For those Alaskans reading, that’s noon.)
Probable Starting XI
Barcelona
Valdes
Alves, Mascherano, Puyol, Abidal
Xavi, Busquets, Thiago
Messi, Fábregas, Villa
Atlético Madrid
Coutois
Silva, Perea, Dominguez, Filipe
Koke, Assuncao, Gabi, Turan
Salvia, Falcao
Disciple of Messi 