It’s that time of year again. For the past 3 seasons, Atlético  Madrid has left the Camp Nou with a sack of goals. Will Lionel Messi terrorize Los Colchoneros defense again this year? Not many would bet against it, especially taking into account the shockingly brilliant start to the Argentina captain’s season.

Nine goals and 9 assists in a mere eight games. EIGHT GAMES, and the wonder boy has already taken part in 18 of the 26 goals that Pep Guardiola’s side has scored since the first game of the season at the Santiago Bernabéu. At this point, nobody can deny that Messi is the most decisive player of his generation, while being a great team player at the same time.

There is good news and bad news for Cules in terms of the squad’s fitness. The good news is that Gerard Pique has been given the medical green light and will be included in the match squad on Saturday. The Catalan defender, whose ability to pass the ball out of the back is crucial to Barcelona’s fluid passing game, was out for 3 weeks after pulling a hamstring.

On a darker note, Barcelona fans would be extremely frustrated to hear that Dutchman Ibrahim Afellay ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in training yesterday and is facing surgery, as well as 6 months without football. The injury could not have come at a worse moment for the clever winger, who towards the end of last season and the recent preseason looked to be fully integrated in Barca’s squad. Andres Iniesta still has a little under a month left of recovery from a thigh injury while new signing Alexis Sanchez will be out for about double that time.

Atlético ’s main attacking threat and new signing Radamel Falcao will come to the Camp Nou in high spirits after having bagged 5 league goals since signing for the Rojiblancos.  The Colombian forward, who scored 38 goals during Porto’s Europa League winning campaign, is the league’s Pichichi (top scorer) with four rounds played. Additionally, Atlético ’s replacement for David De Gea under the posts, Thibaut Courtois (on loan from Chelsea), is La Liga’s goalkeeper with the least goals against.

After a bipolar transfer season for Atlético , things are finally looking like they might be a consistent side this season. During the beginning of the summer, Atlético  fans were beyond infuriated with Sergio Aguero for proving to be an absolute mercenary and signing for Manchester City. “El Kun” was not the only figure being criticized by the Colchoneros fans, but so were the club’s directors for having appointed manager Gregorio Manzano. The Andalusian coach seemed like a second rate choice, seeing as he already had an unsuccessful season with Atléti in 2003. However, as a result of the signings of skillful players such as Diego Ribas and Arda Turan, optimism is back in the hearts of Atlético fans.

Tactically, it seems as though Guardiola may return to his traditional 4-3-3 formation. Valdes will start in goal, and speedy wingback Dani Alves will return to his position at right back. In the center of defense, Javier Mascherano looks likely to partner captain Carles Puyol. With Gerard Pique only having completed one full training session with the group since his injury, it is somewhat doubtful that he could start the match. In addition, Eric Abidal will complete the back four by returning to his natural position at left back.

In the midfield, Busquets will be placed in front of the back four, with Xavi and Cesc Fàbregas in front of him. This game presents a unique challenge for Cesc, who has the opportunity to equal Ibrahimovic’s record of scoring in the first 5 games of a La Liga campaign. However, the ex-Arsenal captain will most likely not be playing in the false-nine position next to Messi. Instead, he will pull the strings in the midfield along with Xavi, in attempt to break down Atlético ’s defense.

Up top, Guardiola will bring out his Champions League winning trident, also known as MVP (Messi Villa Pedro). Messi will be playing in his favored false-nine position, attempting to combine with Fàbregas and Xavi and then release wide forwards David Villa and Pedro Rodriguez on to goal.  The Spanish number 7 will want to show more consistency in front of goal in this match after having missed a sitter against Valencia, while Pedro will continue to help the team by providing width and playing for his teammates.

A lot of spectators of Barca do not realize how important of a player Pedro is. He is unique is a bizarre way, because most wingers try to take the game on their back by dribbling around opponents. The Canarian, however, is extremely unselfish and likes to do one touch plays with players like Alves, Messi and Xavi. Fans criticize Pedro by stating that he never beats defenders with his own skill, but when you play on a team with a two-time Ballon D’Or winner and 8 other World Champions, passing the ball does not sound like a poor choice. Besides, if you give the ball to someone like Iniesta or Xavi, you are 99.9% likely to receive an excellent pass from them afterwards, maybe even in front of goal!

Ultimately, I expect to see a festival of football, a box-to-box encounter from two sides that love to attack. This seems even more inevitable especially after Atlético ’s goalkeeper Courtois stated that his team is not going to sit back and defend, like most sides do at the Camp Nou. Historically, this fixture brings a lot of goals, and nobody expects that to change this time around.

As stated previously, the main challenge for Barcelona in this match will be how to deal with the aerial threat of Radamel Falcao. “El Tigre” will be up against two short center backs, “Masche” and “Puyi,” but neither of them lack pace, strength, or experience.  On top of that, Abidal and Alves might have a tough night dealing with the pace of ex-Real Madrid player Jose Antonio Reyes and Turan on the flanks.

Despite the difficulties that Barcelona might face in this game, I would not be surprised to see Xavi and Cesc just completely take over the game and not let the Atlético  players get a touch of the ball. We will have to see exactly how Guardiola approaches the game. Thiago, Adriano and Keita are with chances of starting, but the only thing sure about this game is that Lionel Messi will be extremely motivated to increase his tally of 12 goals against Atléti.

Line-ups

Barcelona- Valdes; Alves, Mascherano, Puyol, Abidal; Busquets, Xavi, Fàbregas; Pedro, Messi, Villa.

Atlético – Courtois; Silvio, Dominguez, Miranda, Filipe; Tiago, Mario Suares; Reyes, Diego, Turan; Falcao.

 

Prediction

Barcelona 4-3 Atlético  Madrid

Article written by Barcaloco contributor Keenan Manresa. Follow Keenan on Twitter at @knnza.