Amongst the questions we shall ask ourselves are :
- what formation would be the most suitable to win and optimize the eleven's freshness that should face Atletico ?
Subsequent questions - What is Simeone likely to do against Barca ?
- With Iniesta, Busquets, Rafinha and Mascherano being absent , will Lucho, just like he did against Sociedad, try to make Simeone fall into his traps by transforming Barca's weaknesses ( less control) to strenghts ?
If I were Simeone I'll try to put Barca under pressure as they're a lot more vulnerable in the transition from defence to midfield. Defending and closing spaces to force Barca to uncover spaces behind and make them pay on counter-attacks could also be an idea but if Mascherano gets fit again, with Gomes and Arda being physically relatively strong, Denis being fast, it could be quite sterile.
I don't know what Lucho has in mind, in my humble and weak opinion I believe it could be really rewarding to set up a malleable 4-3-3 that could switch to a "reverse triangle" when Atletico press in their 4-2-2-2 formation and make them pay when they press.
At the same time, the team should also be skillfull enough to dominate and overwhelm Atletico if they decide to close spaces and retreat.
For this reason and I might be totally wrong, we may need each midfielder for their qualities in this game :
- Denis for his velocity and intensity - Gomes for stabilizing the midfield - Mascherano for defensive stability - Rakitic for the transition to the attack - Arda for intensity
I would spare Mascherano ( he's slightly injured anyway I believe) and Denis and play with a Rakitic-Gomes-Arda midfield against Betis. Bring on Denis early in the second half to see if he's still in his momentum
