The semifinals of the Copa del Rey are here, and it will be the Barcelona-Atlético de Madrid match that opens this round. The match will start at 9:30 PM and will be held at the Estadio Olímpico de Montjuïc, with Atleti having the home advantage in the second leg. The great mission for Simeone's team will be to withstand the attacks of a very dynamic team with a lot of talent up front.
One of the big questions of the match was the health status of the blaugrana star, Lamine Yamal. Last Saturday, he received a hard stomp against Las Palmas and did not train with the group yesterday, so he was doubtful for the match. However, according to some major media outlets, a decision has already been made regarding the young forward.
Lamine Yamal Is Ready
Atlético de Madrid was able to storm the Estadio Olímpico de Montjuïc in the last match of 2024. The red-and-whites, thanks to a goal by Sorloth in the last minute, broke the curse of the Simeone era of not having won at the blaugrana's stronghold. In the match, there was a small factor, Lamine Yamal did not play, being a determining factor in favor of Atlético.
The Spanish-Moroccan raised all the alarms yesterday, but this morning, Helena Condis cleared all doubts. According to the COPE journalist, Lamine Yamal will be available to play tonight, so, barring any surprises, he will be a starter. This is something that doesn't catch practically anyone off guard, as it was evident that the forward was going to play the match.
The Dilemma on the Left Wing
With Lamine Yamal on the field, Simeone has a headache on the left wing. Although Javi Galán has performed well, whenever he has played against a high-level winger, he has struggled defensively. Additionally, he had Lenglet next to him, whose specialty is not precisely defense, despite being a stronghold this season.
Therefore, several options are being considered for the match in Barcelona. One of them is to return to a five-man defense, with Samu Lino in the lane, supported by Lenglet and Josema Giménez. This seems the most likely, although playing with four defenders and Reinildo on the flank is also not ruled out.