MADRID (AP) — Needing to defend a two-goal lead against Barcelona to reach its first Champions League semifinal in nearly a decade, Atletico Madrid could see goalkeeper Jan Oblak make his return to the starting lineup after being sidelined for more than a month because of a muscle injury.
Atletico hosts Barcelona on Tuesday in the second leg of the quarterfinals, hoping to return to the last four in the top European club competition for the first time since 2017. It won the first match 2-0 in Barcelona last week.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone spoke on Monday and did not rule out Oblak’s return to the squad even though he hasn’t played since the team’s 5-2 win over Tottenham in the round of 16 on March 10. The goalkeeper has been practicing with the squad for the last few days and is reportedly deemed fit to start.
“I still haven’t told the players who will start,” Simeone said, adding that he won’t likely make any announcement about the starting lineup until closer to game time on Tuesday.
Oblak sustained a muscle injury in the match against Tottenham. Argentina goalkeeper Juan Musso has been his replacement since then, conceding 10 goals in six matches as a starter, including two in Atletico’s 2-1 loss at Sevilla in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Whoever starts will have to face a prolific Barcelona attack that includes the likes of Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford. Absent for Barcelona will be Raphinha, who remains sidelined because of a hamstring injury.
This will be the fifth match between Atletico and Barcelona in less than two months. Barcelona won 2-1 in Madrid in a league game on April 4, and the teams had already met twice in the Copa del Rey semifinals, when Atletico won 4-0 at home and then advanced to the final despite a 3-0 loss in Barcelona in the second leg.
This time, Atletico will have the home-field advantage in the second leg, when nearly 70,000 Atletico fans are expected at the Metropolitano stadium. Some 3,000 Barcelona fans are set to make the trip to the Spanish capital.
“We are convinced of what we need, and we’ll play the game we need to in order to advance,” Simeone said. “We know the opponent we’re facing. We are aware of its quality, but we also know our objective, which is to advance.”
Atletico was eliminated by city rival Real Madrid in the semifinals in 2016-17. It also lost two finals to Real Madrid, in 2014 and 2016. It has never won the Champions League.
Five-time European champion Barcelona made it to the Champions League semifinals last year, when it was eliminated by eventual runner-up Inter Milan.
The team that advances on Tuesday will face either Arsenal or Sporting Lisbon in the semifinals. Arsenal won the first leg 1-0 in Lisbon last week. Their second leg in England is on Wednesday.
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