Lamine Yamal

Barcelona will be looking for an specific result to get through to the UEFA Champions League semifinals against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. Barcelona travel to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in search of a comeback against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their 2025-26 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie. With the Colchoneros holding a 2-0 advantage from the first leg, the Blaugrana must produce a specific result to pull off one of the more memorable reversals in the club’s recent history. The stunning 2-0 defeat at Camp Nou sent shockwaves through the Barcelona fanbase, and the Blaugrana will be without Pau Cubarsi for the second leg after his red card in the 45th minute of the first leg. Atletico have also taken steps to gain any available edge at their own ground, with the state of the Metropolitano pitch already drawing a complaint from Barca coach Hansi Flick ahead of the match. Barcelona head into the game on the back of a morale-boosting 4-1 win over Espanyol in the Catalan derby, while Atletico come in off a 2-1 defeat to relegation-threatened Sevilla, a result that carried little concern given Diego Simeone rested most of his first-choice starters ahead of Tuesday’s European clash. How a Barcelona win affects the UEFA Champions League bracket A victory for Barcelona on Tuesday would not automatically guarantee their passage to the next round. With Atletico holding a two-goal cushion from the first leg, a narrow one-goal win for the Blaugrana would still see the Colchoneros advance on aggregate. Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona is challenged by Koke of Atletico de Madrid. For Barcelona to advance directly, they would need to win by a margin of three or more goals to overcome the deficit in regulation. If they do manage to complete the comeback, the Blaugrana would face the winner of the other quarterfinal between Sporting CP and Arsenal in the semifinals, with the Gunners currently holding a 1-0 advantage heading into their second leg. How a Barcelona draw affects the UEFA Champions League bracket A draw in Tuesday’s match would see Barcelona eliminated from the 2025-26 Champions League, as the two-goal deficit from the first leg would prove insurmountable under a straightforward aggregate calculation. However, if Barcelona were erase the two-goal deficit and draw in the average scoreline, the situation changes entirely. A 2-0 scoreline in favor of Barcelona, for example, would level the aggregate and send the tie to extra time, with a penalty shootout to follow if the teams remained deadlocked. How a Barcelona loss affects the UEFA Champions League bracket If Barcelona were to lose on Tuesday, they would be eliminated from the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League, falling short of the semifinals once again. Their last appearance at that stage came in the 2018-19 season against Liverpool, while a victory for Atletico would see the Colchoneros reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.

Lamine Yamal is seeking inspiration from LeBron James as he attempts to lead Barcelona to a Champions League quarterfinal comeback win against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday.

Lamine Yamal: I want a 1-on-1 with an Atleti player... Kick Off

Barça will look to overturn a 0-2 deficit from the first leg at Camp Nou this Tuesday, April 14, at the Metropolitano. Leer

The first two Champions League quarter-finals conclude on Tuesday evening and European heavyweights Liverpool and Barcelona both face uphill battles in their bid to seal a spot in the final four. L…

Real Madrid were booed off at the Bernabéu on Friday night, and not for the first time this season, after they failed to beat Girona in a 1-1 draw. Gary and Alex look at what this latest setback means for Alvaro Arbeloa's chances of remaining in charge next season, and whether they have any hope of going to Munich and overturning the 2-1 deficit against Bayern. Barcelona went nine points clear at the top after a 4-1 win over Espanyol, with Hansi Flick taking no chances and playing Lamine Yamal and Pedri for 90 minutes despite the Champions League second leg with Atletico Madrid to come in the week. Will Barca have enough firepower to score the three they need or will that leaky defence prove costly in the Metropolitano? Join The Players Lounge: The official fantasy football club of The Rest Is Football. It’s time to take on Gary, Alan and Micah for the chance to win monthly prizes and shoutouts on the pod. It’s FREE to join and as a member, you’ll get access to exclusive tips from Fantasy Football Hub including AI-powered team ratings, transfer tips, and expert team reveals to help you climb the table - plus access to our private Slack community. Sign up today at therestisfootball.com. https://therestisfootball.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=episode_description&utm_content=link_cta For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Barcelona’s teenage winger Lamine Yamal said Monday he was taking inspiration from basketball great LeBron James and Brazilian footballer Neymar to try and inspire a Champions League comeback against Atletico Madrid. The Catalan giants fell 2-0 last week in the quarter-final first leg at home but are aiming to reach the final four for a […] The post Star names inspiring Barca teen Yamal for Atletico comeback appeared first on Soccer America.

Ahead of the Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid, Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick complained to a UEFA delegate over the pitch conditions at the Metopolitano. Barcelona have arrived in Madrid for the second leg of their 2025-26 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie against Atletico, looking to overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg. But head coach Hansi Flick has already encountered his first obstacle, lodging a complaint with a UEFA official over the condition of the playing surface at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. On Monday, Barcelona held their pre-match press conference, with Lamine Yamal among the most prominent voices, even directing a message toward Atletico coach Diego Simeone, before Flick addressed the media. The squad also conducted their final training session ahead of Tuesday’s clash at the Metropolitano, and their first contact with the pitch left something to be desired. In footage captured by accredited media, Flick was visibly unhappy the moment he stepped onto the field. The Barcelona manager crouched down on multiple occasions to examine the grass up close, his body language leaving little doubt about his dissatisfaction with what he found. After determining that the grass was too long and excessively dry, Flick wasted no time seeking out UEFA delegate Christian Kofoed of Denmark, who was stationed on the touchline. The German coach proceeded to make his concerns known directly to the representative in no uncertain terms. Hansi Flick se queja del césped del Metropolitano a la UEFA. (Vía @eldesmarque). Al entrenador del Barça no le gusta el estado de la hierba. pic.twitter.com/J3ZiTVY6yW — Albert Ortega (@AlbertOrtegaES1) April 13, 2026 Despite the clear frustration on display, Diario AS reports that Barcelona have not filed a formal complaint, with Flick’s remarks characterized as an observation that UEFA has acknowledged. Atletico Madrid, for their part, have reportedly pushed back against any suggestion that the pitch was in poor condition in the 24 hours leading up to kickoff. Pitch conditions emerge as another obstacle for Barcelona A dry surface creates significantly more friction as the ball rolls across it, causing it to slow down considerably compared to a wet pitch, and that factor cuts directly against Flick’s style of play. In La Liga, Barcelona lead all teams with 586 passes completed per game, and in the Champions League they rank fourth with 507, while also placing among the lower teams in long ball frequency, making the pace and smoothness of the playing surface a genuine competitive concern. The dry conditions at the Metropolitano have already proven costly for Barcelona in this very stadium this season. In the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal, Atletico exploited an unexpected bounce on the pitch that caused goalkeeper Joan García to mishandle the ball, resulting in an own goal that opened a 4-0 victory for the hosts. It is precisely that kind of moment Flick will be desperate to avoid when the two sides meet again on Tuesday.

Yamal channels LeBron and Neymar as Barcelona chase a Champions League miracle Leer

As his side look to overturn a two-goal quarter-final deficit against Atlético Madrid, the teenager is ready to give his all No pressure, kid. Lamine Yamal took the stage here and, he hoped, not for the last time. The 18-year-old, wearing glasses, sat in the press conference room at the Metropolitano where he said he would take inspiration from the basketball legend LeBron James and from Neymar on Wednesday night. He insisted that he welcomes the weight of expectation that has been loaded upon him from the beginning as he tries to lead Barcelona back from a 2-0 first-leg defeat against Atlético Madrid and into the semi-finals of the Champions League. When Barcelona were knocked out by Inter in last season’s semi-finals, Lamine Yamal promised that he would take them back. A year on, scorer of five goals and provider of four assists in Europe, described by Hansi Flick as “the best in the world one on one”, he is their great hope as they seek to return and try again, his appearance in front of the media a prelude to him leading on the pitch. “Ever since I was little I have had the fortune to have to take on more responsibility than I should,” the teenager said. “I am used to it. All I think about is enjoying it, not taking it as a problem but a virtue. I’m grateful for everything.”