Barcelona have been the most attack-minded side in the Spanish top flight so far, with 46 goals scored from just 11 games. By contrast, Atletico Madrid boast the strongest defensive statistics, but it seems unlikely that they will be unlikely to keep the Catalans at bay.

Barcelona’s high line has become a staple of their play - they make it so difficult for opponents to progress, but they can at times be caught in transition. Atletico Madrid have the tools to exploit space offered to them in behind, and they should play with confidence on home turf. After losing 2-0 against Bayern Munich midweek, Diego Simeone will demand a reaction from his side at the weekend, and this promises to be an open contest.

Raphinha is currently the top scorer in La Liga with a tally of 15 goals in just ten league appearances. He is three goals above Kylian Mbappe. The Brazilian international is in his prime, and he added another two goals against Aston Villa midweek, as Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 win at the Nou Camp.

Raphinha has 19 goals and three assists this season in just 13 matches across all competitions. Those numbers are incredible, and he has landed this selection in 11 of his 12 starts overall. The only miss came against PSG at the Parc-des-Princes, when Raphinha was substituted after 60 minutes. The 29-year-old scored in both starts against Atletico last season, so he should be looking forward to this matchup.

Atletico Madrid and Barcelona met six times last season - twice in La Liga, twice in the Champions League, and twice in the Copa Del Rey. Joao Cancelo started four of those matches, and he landed this selection every time. He even picked up a booking in the home leg of the Copa Del Rey.

The Portuguese international is much more confident going forward than he is at defending, and he will be up against Giuliano Simeone this weekend. The Argentine winger is averaging 1.68 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions this season, which is one of the highest figures in the Atletico squad.

Ademola Lookman is likely to start on the opposite flank, and he should be looking forward to this matchup. The Nigerian international scored twice against Barcelona last season, and his pace in transition proved to be tough to handle. Lookman hasn’t been given too many opportunities to start this season by Diego Simeone, but this matchup seems to suit him well.

Lookman seems to thrive in tougher matchups when there is space to run in behind, and he even managed to get on the scoresheet against Real Madrid. He had an average of 3.1 shots per 90 across all competitions last season after joining Atletico, rising to 3.8 at the Metropolitano.

Fermín López has already picked up three yellow cards in ten La Liga games this season and is averaging 1.67 fouls per 90 minutes.

He's given away at least two fouls in each of his last four away games across all competitions.

He could have his hands full against Morten Hjulmand in midfield.

Hjulmand gets fouled 1.81 times per 90 minutes across all competitions, more than any other Atlético player this season.

Atlético also have Pablo Barrios, who gets fouled more than once and is involved in over nine duels per 90 minutes.

The last three meetings between these sides have been pretty heated, with 14 yellow cards and three reds. Fermín himself was booked in their last La Liga meeting.

João Gomes picked up ten yellow cards in the Premier League last season, and he's already got five in 12 games for Aston Villa this season across all competitions, plus a red card.

The Brazilian is averaging 1.83 fouls per 90 minutes in the league and has given away at least one in five of his six games.

He could come up against Bruno Fernandes, who's already got Everton's Harrison Armstrong and Tottenham's Jan Paul van Hecke booked this season.

Youri Tielemans could also cause him problems in midfield, as he gets fouled 1.69 times per game on average.

Chris Kavanagh is another one to keep an eye on. He's handed out 32 yellows and four reds in just six Premier League games this season.

He also showed eight yellow cards in his most recent match, Galatasaray vs Stuttgart in the Champions League.

Barcelona have been a nightmare for opponents away from home in La Liga, scoring 22 goals in five games and averaging an impressive 3 xG per game.

Across all competitions, they’ve scored at least twice in every away game this season, although they’ve also conceded in their last five.

Atlético have plenty of firepower themselves and showed what they're capable of in their 2-1 home win over Real Madrid, where they managed 18 shots and 2.41 xG.

Barcelona could have a few problems at the back, with Koundé and Christensen both doubtful, while Rodri has already been ruled out.

Going forward, though, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal are both confirmed.

Raphinha is La Liga’s top scorer with 15 goals in ten games, while Yamal has already scored ten himself.

Atlético also struggled against Bayern and Liverpool, losing both games and conceding at least twice in each. That's another reason to fancy Barcelona's chances here.

Real Sociedad have been involved in some pretty entertaining games lately, scoring 14 goals in their last five league matches but also conceding nine, with both teams scoring in all five.

They've got the fourth-best attack in La Liga, averaging almost two goals per game, but they're also among the five worst defences in the league, just like Rayo.

Rayo have scored in all five of their away games, with both teams finding the net in every one. They've also conceded an average of 2.6 goals per match.

Sergio Camello has scored four of his seven goals for Rayo away from home, so he's definitely one to watch.

Real Sociedad will fancy their chances here, especially with Rayo giving up 15.5 shots per game. The hosts have also been looking much better going forward, managing at least 12 shots in each of their last five matches.

Groningen have been causing plenty of problems away from home, scoring in every game so far and averaging 2.6 goals per match.

The problem is their defence, which has conceded 24 goals in 11 games, almost twice as many as AZ.

They've also taken some heavy beatings against stronger sides, losing 5-2 at home to Ajax and 5-1 away to PSV.

AZ are averaging 2.23 xG and 17 shots per game at home, and those numbers tend to go up against weaker defences.

They managed 21 shots against Go Ahead Eagles and another 24 against Utrecht, scoring nine goals across those two games.

Groningen have shown they can cause problems going forward, scoring 14 goals in their last five matches, but they still don't look capable of avoiding defeat against stronger sides like AZ.