Hansi Flick has settled on his Barcelona line-up for the trip to the Metropolitano. The German will hand Marc Bernal a start to cover for the absent Rodri in midfield, leave Frenkie de Jong on the bench and keep faith with Bryan Farinas at right-back.
Spanish newspaper Sport reports that Bernal has won the battle for the midfield berth after a standout second-half display against Aston Villa. That performance earned Flick's trust for an occasion demanding the highest levels of readiness, much like Barcelona's clash with Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital.
Another contest raged over the right-back slot, and Farinas came out on top. He completes a back line alongside Cubarsi and Gerard Martin in the centre, with Joao Cancelo taking up left-back duties.
Flick preferred not to gamble on Eric Garcia, who begins the game among the substitutes.
By facing Atletico, Farinas makes a third straight start after featuring against Alaves and Aston Villa.
Bernal will form a midfield trio with Pedri and Fermin in Rodri's absence, a gap that forces Flick to rethink how he shares out the roles.
Expect Pedri to shoulder greater responsibility in possession. He is likely to drop closer to the holding role, given wider space to organise Barcelona's movements and dictate the tempo.
The attack stays untouched. Raphinha continues as an out-and-out striker, Gordon takes the left flank and Lamine Yamal leads the charge from the right.
Flick is leaning on Raphinha's growing attacking influence in this role. The Brazilian has become one of the standout figures in the new system, bagging 19 goals in a Barcelona shirt during the 2026-2027 season, according to the Spanish newspaper.
Diego Simeone, meanwhile, will build Atletico Madrid around Oblak in goal. Marcos Llorente lines up at right-back, with the option of shifting to a third centre-back when required, alongside Pubill, Hancko and Grimaldo. The plan is to smother Barcelona's attacking trio of Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Fermin while keeping the threat of attacks down the flanks.
Cardoso and Hojlund have returned to the squad, but both start on the bench. Pablo Barrios and Koke anchor the midfield in a bid to strike a balance between defensive graft and building attacks.
Out wide, Giuliano Simeone features on the right, using his physicality and offering defensive cover for Marcos Llorente. Baena takes the left, charged with helping Grimaldo contain Lamine Yamal.
Julian Alvarez leads the Atletico attack as their most dangerous outlet. Alongside him comes Kang-in Lee, back in the starting XI after coming off the bench against Bayern Munich.
Kang-in will operate in an attacking role next to Alvarez, with the chance to switch to the right wing when the team drops into a 5-4-1 shape out of possession. Jonathan David, Ademola Lookman and Alexander Sorloth wait for their chance on the bench.