With several stars missing the game due to injury, FC Barcelona will be hosting Atletico Madrid for the first leg of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid meet on Wednesday, April 8, at Camp Nou for the first leg of their 2025-26 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie. With a place in the semifinals on the line and several key players sidelined through injury, both sides will be going all out for a result.
Interestingly, Barcelona head into the game on the back of a 2-1 La Liga win over the same opponents in Matchday 30, with Robert Lewandowski coming off the bench to score the decisive late winner. Riding an unbeaten run of nine matches across all competitions, the Blaugrana are eager to keep that momentum going, especially with so much at stake.
Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, arrive having lost three consecutive matches, falling 3-2 to Tottenham Hotspur, 3-2 to Real Madrid, and most recently to Barcelona in the league. While Diego Simeone rotated his squad for that last outing, several key players are expected to return to the starting lineup as the Colchoneros look to arrest their slide at the worst possible time.
The buildup to the match has also been charged with tension, with Atletico publicly voicing their frustration over refereeing decisions in the recent La Liga clash, specifically the red card shown to Nicolas Gonzalez and the one they felt should have been given to Gerard Martin. Club CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin weighed in on Sunday, arguing that VAR “should only intervene to correct non-interpretable errors, not to decide in place of the head referee,” and adding that “all that is left is to feel ashamed” when reviewing the footage and listening to the VAR audio.
Referee Busquets Ferrer shows a yellow card to Gerard Martin after changing it from a red card following a VAR review.
Barcelona and Atletico meet again after Copa del Rey series
The two sides have already faced each other in a knockout format this season, meeting in the Copa del Rey semifinals. In that tie, Atletico had the advantage of hosting the first leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano and made it count with a commanding 4-0 victory.
Needing a historic comeback at Camp Nou, Barcelona fell short despite winning the second leg 3-0, with Atletico advancing to the Copa del Rey final on aggregate. With that recent memory still fresh and the Champions League now at stake, the Blaugrana will be determined to avoid another upset against the side coached by Simeone.
Projected lineups for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid
Barcelona’s projected lineup (4-2-3-1): Joan Garcia; Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Joao Cancelo; Eric Garcia, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Marcus Rashford; Robert Lewandowski.Head coach: Hansi Flick.
Atletico Madrid’s projected lineups (4-4-2): Juan Musso; Nahuel Molina, Robin Le Normand, David Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri; Giuliano Simeone, Koke, Marcos Llorente, Ademola Lookman; Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez.Head coach: Diego Simeone.