Lookman, Atlético brace for 'massive' Barcelona UCL test
Ademola Lookman has set the tone for tonight’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg by warning that Atlético Madrid’s two-goal advantage over Barcelona means nothing if they lose their focus
Ademola Lookman has set the tone for tonight’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg by warning that Atlético Madrid's two-goal advantage over Barcelona means nothing if they lose their focus at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
The Super Eagles forward, who featured for 60 minutes in last Wednesday's first leg, was candid in his assessment.
"The second leg is going to be a massive challenge and a massive game," he told TNT Sports after the Camp Nou victory.
It was a message that spoke volumes about the respect Lookman and his teammates hold for an opponent they have now faced five times this season.
Atlético produced a disciplined and clinical display in Barcelona last week to claim their first win at Camp Nou since 2006, ending a 25-match winless streak there. Goals from Julián Álvarez who curled a precise free-kick after Pau Cubarsí's red card, and substitute Alexander Sørloth sealed a historic 2-0 victory.
Lookman acknowledged the quality of the opposition, saying: "Barcelona are a top team, of course, and the situations they put you in, but you've got to dig in and be together, and when you get your moments you have to take them."
At his pre-match press conference yesterday, coach Diego Simeone struck a similarly measured tone, dismissing any suggestion that home advantage makes today's task straightforward. "We're confident about what we need, and we're confident about what we're going to go for. Our goal is to progress, and we'll play the match to make that happen," he told reporters.
Atlético's Saturday La Liga defeat to Sevilla carries an important mark after Simeone rotated ten players from the first-leg starting lineup, giving key figures including Koke, Álvarez, Griezmann, Llorente, Molina and Ruggeri valuable rest ahead of tonight's decisive contest.
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Barcelona arrive at the Metropolitano with significant absentees of their own. Pau Cubarsí is suspended, while Raphinha and Andreas Christensen remain unavailable through injury.
On the flanks, Lookman and Giuliano Simeone will again carry a dual brief — tracking opposing full-backs while bursting forward on transitions, with the Nigerian expected to target the space behind Cancelo on Barcelona's left flank.
Hansi Flick has urged his side to stay positive, insisting they have the quality for a comeback. But with a rested Atlético side, a ‘hostile’ Metropolitano crowd, and a Super Eagles forward in form, Barcelona face an enormous task to overturn a two-goal deficit.
QUARTER-FINAL : 2ND LEG FIXTURES
Today:
Atlético vs. Barcelona
Liverpool vs. PSG
Tomorrow:
Bayern vs. Madrid
Arsenal vs. Sporting
