Barcelona travel to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Sunday for Matchday 12 of the 2026/27 La Liga season to face Atletico Madrid, who sit two points behind them. A victory would move the Rojiblancos to the top of the table, making this a critical match in the title race. The visitors also seek revenge after last season's Copa del Rey and Champions League eliminations.
Hansi Flick's defence remains ravaged by injury, forcing him to field an experimental back line of Brian Farinas, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin and Joao Cancelo. Farinas, primarily a midfielder, has played right-back in the last two games, while Cancelo operates at left-back. Jules Kounde is unavailable, and despite Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen recovering from injury, they are unlikely to start.
Atletico's attack presents a significant threat to Barcelona's assembled defence. The home side has scored 22 La Liga goals this season and features dangerous options in Alex Baena, Giuliano Simeone, Ademola Lookman, Julian Alvarez, Alexander Sorloth and Jonathan David. Atletico's attacking full-backs Marcos Llorente and Alejandro Grimaldo can also exploit spaces behind Barcelona's high defensive line.
