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FULL-TIME, Barcelona 2-0 Atlético Madrid: This felt like a final from the start, and Barça played the whole game like champions. Great job, boys!!!
GOAL!!!!!! Barcelona 2-0 Atlético Madrid (Messi 86’): BARÇA DOUBLE THE LEAD!!!! Messi runs in behind the defense, gets to the box, waits for the right moment and just passes the ball into the net beyond Oblak’s reach. The win is sealed, and the title decider belongs to the champions.
GOAL!!!!!!!!!! Barcelona 1-0 Atlético Madrid (Suárez 85’): BARÇA TAKE THE LEAD!!!! Luis Suárez fires a beautiful shot from outside the box, and he finally beats Oblak!!!
62. SAVE! Messi goes on a one-man counter-attacking run through the defense and gives Suárez a chance in front of goal, but Oblak makes another huge save for his team.
SECOND HALF KICKOFF! Barcelona 0-0 Atlético Madrid: Come on, boys! Let’s be sharper in the final third and find the winner!
HALFTIME, Barcelona 0-0 Atlético: The red card didn’t help Barça at all as Atlético became even stronger at the back and the Blaugrana are having trouble in the final third. It doesn’t help that Luis Suárez can’t touch, pass or shoot the ball well, but we still have a whole half to get the winner.
28. RED CARD! Diego Costa says a little too much to referee Gil Manzano and receives a straight red card. Atlético are down to 10 men, and Barça have a big chance to get the win here.
27. SAVE! Philippe Coutinho makes a one-two with Luis Suárez and finds himself in space at the edge of the box, but his low shot is saved by Oblak. Barça are dominating now, but the goal is yet to come.
14. POST! Lionel Messi plays a genius pass to find Jordi Alba running in behind the defense, and the full-back beats Jan Oblak but hits the post. It’s a huge chance for Barça, and the biggest of the game so far.
KICKOFF! Barcelona 0-0 Atlético Madrid: Come on, boys! Give me all the heart attacks you want, as long as you win the game. That’s all that matters.
LINEUPS
BARCELONA
Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Arthur; Messi, Suárez, Coutinho (4-3-3)
Bench: Cillessen, Murillo, Umtiti, Semedo, Aleñá, Boateng, Malcom
ATLÉTICO MADRID
Starting XI: Oblak; Arias, Giménez, Godín, Filipe Luís; Saúl, Partey, Rodrigo, Koke; Griezmann, Diego Costa (4-4-2)
Bench: Adán, Savic, Juanfran, Vitolo, Correa, Kalinic, Morata
WELCOME TO CAMP NOU!!! The Greatest Stadium on Earth is the site of the biggest La Liga game of the season tonight as leaders Barcelona face second-place Atlético Madrid. Atleti really need to win to cut Barça’s lead to five points and put real pressure on the defending champions with seven matches left after this, while Barça can pretty much clinch the championship with a victory and an 11-point gap at the top of the table. This is a giant match, and you cannot miss it. You can also join us to follow and comment all the action. LET’S LIVE BLOG!
(Note: the comments will be open only when the team news come out, because our commenter people love commenting and sometimes there are too many comments in the comments section)
MATCH INFO
Competition/Round: 2018-19 La Liga, Matchday 31
Date/Time: Saturday, April 6, 2019, 8.45pm CET (Barcelona), 7.45pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 2.45pm ET, 11.45am PT (USA), 12.15am IST (India, Sunday)
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: Jesús Gil Manzano
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM LA LIGA
How to watch on TV: beIN SPORTS (USA & Canada), Eleven Sports 1 (UK), SuperSport 7 (Nigeria), Movistar Partidazo (Spain), others
How to stream: beIN SPORTS CONNECT (USA & Canada), Movistar+ (Spain), fuboTV (watch for free), others
Matchday Thread Rules
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, no swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!