Wounded Atletico seek quick recovery against Barca after penalty heartbreak

Barca maintain their imperious form with a commanding 3-1 win over Benfica

Champions League - Round of 16 - Second Leg - Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid - Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - Mar 12, 2025 Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez scores a penalty during the penalty shootout wich is later disallowed after a VAR review REUTERS/Susana Vera

Atletico Madrid will have to pick themselves up as they prepare to host Barcelona in a top-of-the-table LaLiga clash on Sunday after a heartbreaking and controversial shootout defeat to rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Atletico boss Diego Simeone was left fuming with the referee's decision to rule out Julian Alvarez's spot kick for a double touch, with Madrid going on to win the shootout 4-2 and book their spot in the quarter-finals.

Alvarez slipped as he struck the ball, with the VAR immediately informing the referee of a double contact, but Simeone was unconvinced, saying that he had yet to see an image that conclusively showed that the player had touched the ball twice.

While Wednesday's result was a gut punch for Atletico, Simeone said he hoped they could recover quickly for Sunday's game against title rivals Barca.

"We'll see if this defeat will cost us moving forward, the way we went out it's not easy to digest," Simeone said on Wednesday.

"I'm sure Barca wanted us to go to extra time. We will get to the game tired, beaten after we competed the way we had to compete tonight, but we'll give it everything we've got on Sunday."

Only one point separates Spain's three biggest clubs in one of the closest LaLiga title races in recent years with Barca leading the pack on 57 points, ahead of second-placed Real Madrid on goal difference with Atletico in third on 56 points.

Barca have a game in hand over both and a win in the Spanish capital on Sunday would leave them in control of their own destiny as they approach the final stretch in a promising season in which they remain in contention for three major trophies.

Barca maintained their imperious form with a commanding 3-1 win over Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday to extend their unbeaten run to 17 games across all competitions.

They are set to face Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals while they have also reached the Copa del Rey semis in which they drew 4-4 with Atletico in the first leg before the April 2 return.

Real Madrid will play at Villarreal on Saturday and could go provisionally top of the table, heaping pressure on their title rivals.

Like Barca, Carlo Ancelotti's Real are also in contention for the treble. They are in a good position to reach the Copa del Rey final, after having beaten Real Sociedad 1-0 in the first leg of their semi, and are set to face Arsenal in the Champions League quarters.