Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona: Preview, predictions and lineups | OneFootball

It's all to play for in Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final, as Atletico Madrid host the second leg against Barcelona.

The two sides have played out a couple of bonkers affairs as of late, and this tie is all-square at 4-4 after Atletico rallied late in Montjuic. Diego Simeone's side were 2-0 up, then 4-2 down, before Marcos Llorente and Alexander Sorloth scored in the final ten minutes to restore parity.

Since then, Barcelona have taken a big step towards the La Liga title by rallying from a two-goal deficit to claim a remarkable 4-2 victory at the Metropolitano. Barca's comeback triumph has taken the wind out of Atleti's sails, and their draw to Espanyol at the weekend has all but ruled them out of contention.

After they were cruelly dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, Atleti's season now hinges on Wednesday. This was a campaign which promised so much for Simeone's side, but there's a strong possibility they end up with nothing.

Barca, on the contrary, are going strong on all fronts and have already secured silverware under Hansi Flick. Back-to-back La Liga wins after the international break means they boast a three-point lead at the summit, and they'll soon take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Here's 90min's guide to Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final second leg.

What time does Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona kick-off?

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona head-to-head record (last five games)

Current form (all competitions)

How to watch Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona on TV - UK & US

Atletico Madrid team news

Julian Alvarez will return to the Atletico starting XI on Wednesday / Eric Alonso/GettyImages

Diego Simeone opted to use his South American contingent off the bench against Espanyol, with Julian Alvarez, Jose Maria Gimenez, and Rodrigo De Paul all poised to return to Atleti's starting lineup on Wednesday night.

Samuel Lino will team up with Reinildo down the left to tame Lamine Yamal, while Clement Lenglet's resurgence should see him keep his place at centre-back over Robin Le Normand if Gimenez comes back in.

Koke is likely to miss out for the hosts again, and Angel Correa is also unavailable due to a lengthy suspension. Juan Musso could be preferred to Jan Oblak between the posts.

Atletico Madrid predicted lineup vs Barcelona

Atletico predicted lineup vs Barcelona (4-4-2): Musso; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Reinildo; Simeone, Barrios, De Paul, Lino; Alvarez, Griezmann.

Barcelona team news

Raphinha is ready to go for the second leg / AFP7/GettyImages

Flick has confirmed that Raphinha and Pau Cubarsi are both ready to return to Barcelona's starting lineup on Wednesday. The former was an unused substitute on Sunday, while Cubarsi picked up a minor injury on international duty.

Cubarsi will likely partner Inigo Martinez at centre-back, with Raphinha coming in down the left and replacing Gavi. Alejandro Balde will also start over Gerard Martin.

Ferran Torres may be considered for a start given his excellent scoring form, but Robert Lewandowski has also been on fire and won't want to drop out of the team for this significant occasion.

There were positive injury updates regarding Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Andreas Christensen over the break, but the pair remain out along with Marc Bernal and Marc Casado.

Barcelona predicted lineup vs Atletico (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Lewandowski.

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona score prediction

We've gotten used to Atletico Madrid playing out cagey contests with Spain's best, but the meetings between these two teams this season have been nothing of the sort. Will there be more chaos on Wednesday?

This is a bigger game for the hosts given their Champions League exit and slumping La Liga form, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Simeone revert to type. There may not be anything extravagant about Atleti on Wednesday, but it's going to take a huge effort to slow this Barca team down. They proved before the break that they merely need a yard of space to strike.

The hosts will aim to turn this into a scrappy affair bereft of rhythm, and they may well have some success despite the return of a couple of key faces to the Barcelona XI. This could go the distance, and it's a toss-up in the shootout.