The best club team in Europe will host Athletico Madrid in what will be a battle between two of the best teams in the country.
Athletico Madrid is currently sitting in ninth place on the table after disappointing performances against Osasuna and Valencia.
Barcelona will look to dismantle the other team from Madrid when these two collide in an early season La Liga matchup.
Where: Camp Nou
When: September 24th, 4:00 p.m. EST
Watch: Sky Sports 4
Live Stream: Sky Sports
Biggest Storyline:
How bad will it get for Athletico Madrid?
Be afraid, be very afraid.
Barca is coming from a ridiculous 8-0 thrashing of Osasuna, the same Osasuna team that played to a draw against Athletico Madrid just three weeks ago.
That doesn't bode well for Athletico Madrid, as things could get out of hand quickly at Camp Nou.
Key Player to Watch for Barcelona: Lionel Messi
It has to be Lionel Messi, who else would you want to keep an eye on for an entire match?
Lionel Messi is the most explosive player in club football, and will look to explode in this match and exploit an Athletico Madrid defense that has been very efficient so far this season.
Athletico Madrid: Radamel Falcao Garcia
Talk about explosive, Falcao certainly fits into that category. This kid is one of the best goal scorers in the world, and will look to put the ball in the back of the net at least once against Barca.
He has recorded three goals in just two games with Athletico Madrid, and is coming off a season that witnessed him put 17 balls in the net in 14 Europa League games.
Key Matchup: Athletico Madrid defense vs. Barca attack
Athletico Madrid have only given up one goal so far in the La Liga season. On the other hand, Barcelona have scored 15 goals, already.
Something has to give in this match, so it will be interesting to see if superior defense or offense wins out at Camp Nou.
What They're Saying:
Falcao was happy about registering his first goal for his new club, but admitted that winning is the most important thing.
":I am happy to have scored," he told Canal+. "It is my first goal at the Vicente Calderon.
"It boosted our confidence as we got the lead early in the match and we managed to keep it."
"The important thing is that Atletico win and that we reach our goals game after game. If I score, that is even better," according to Goal.com
In a conversation with ESPN, Barcelona captain Carlos Puyol insists they are not worried about the criticism the team has received from the media as of late.
"We are fine and we are not listening to what people are saying from outside the club. The team was frustrated and it left a bad taste in the mouth (after the Milan game) but we have already turned the page."
"Before we were not the best and now we are not the worst. We want to win as much as ever but it is true that we need to be concentrated especially at set-plays. We need to ensure that the opposition don't get the ball and they don't score."
Final Score:
Barcelona 4
Athletico Madrid 2
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