Barcelona and Real Madrid are looking over their shoulders in La Liga at in-form Atletico Madrid, wary of a letdown after taxing wins away from home in the Champions League this week.
A 3-2 victory at Borussia Dortmund ensured Barcelona will advance to the knockout phase of Europe’s top club competition, while Madrid won by the same scoreline away to a previously unbeaten Atalanta.
That win kept the holders in contention for automatic qualification to the last 16, but Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted the match drained a lot of energy from his injury-hit squad.
“It was a tough match because Atalanta demanded a lot from us physically,” said Ancelotti, whose side trail leaders Barcelona by two points but have a game in hand.
Vinicius Junior scored on his return from a hamstring injury in Italy on a night Kylian Mbappe netted his 50th Champions League goal before going off injured.
“We have to hang in there until Christmas,” added Ancelotti, who also welcomed back Rodrygo and is expecting to have Eduardo Camavinga fit again soon.
“The calendar is very demanding, we have a reduced squad and that doesn’t allow us to rotate players as much. We have to hang in there for the time being.”
Madrid make the short trip to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday knowing they can snatch top spot from Barcelona, for 24 hours at least, before next week’s Intercontinental Cup final in Qatar.
But they could be without Mbappe due to the hamstring problem he suffered on Tuesday.
“Mbappe has some discomfort in his hamstrings. It doesn’t seem serious but we’ll see,” Ancelotti said after the Atalanta game.
“He couldn’t sprint, it hurt him a bit and we thought it best to replace him.”
Barcelona host a struggling Leganes on Sunday attempting to arrest their domestic dip in form, with a run of one win in five games opening the door to their title rivals.
Atletico are three points adrift of Barcelona having also played a game less, and have won five in a row in La Liga going into Sunday’s home derby with Getafe.
Not far behind are Athletic Bilbao, whose 2-0 win at Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce on Wednesday pushed them closer to the Europa League last 16.
Athletic, unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions, are going for a fifth straight league win away to Alaves this weekend, while Villarreal and Real Betis meet in a clash of teams whose results have tailed off recently.
Player to watch: Julian Alvarez
The Argentine is Atletico’s top scorer with 12 goals overall since his August arrival from Manchester City.
The 24-year-old left England seeking a new challenge after largely playing second fiddle to Erling Haaland despite his critical role in his country’s 2022 World Cup triumph.
Alvaraz set Atletico on their way to a 3-1 win over Slovan Bratislava midweek with a terrific curling effort before Antoine Griezmann’s double sealed the points.
“He’s a great player,” said Griezmann, who himself is in a rich vein of form with seven goals in his last five outings. “It’s a joy and a source of pride to have him with us and to be able to help him.”
Key Stats
5 – after failing to score until November 9, Jude Bellingham has now found the net in each of Madrid’s last five league games
8 – months since Valencia’s last away league win, a 1-0 victory at Osasuna in April
10 – consecutive wins for Atletico in La Liga, the Champions League and Copa del Rey
