Published On 4 Apr 20264 Apr 2026Who: Atletico Madrid vs BarcelonaWhat: Spanish football’s La LigaWhere: Metropolitano StadiumWhen: Saturday, April 5, at 9pm (19:00 GMT).How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.Barcelona winger Raphinha’s untimely injury heaps further pressure on teenage star Lamine Yamal ahead of the club’s triple-header against Atletico Madrid.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe Spanish champions visit Atletico on Saturday as they bid to maintain or even extend their lead at the top of La Liga, before two further games against Diego Simeone’s team in the Champions League quarterfinals.Barca have already faced Atletico three times this season, beating them in La Liga in December but falling in the Copa del Rey semifinal over two legs.Without Raphinha, out with a hamstring injury until May, the onus will be on 18-year-old winger Yamal to provide the magic Barca need to proceed on two fronts in the approaching, inevitably intense battles with Atletico.Yamal played for Spain this week in a goalless draw against Egypt in Cornella at Espanyol’s stadium, which was notable for Islamophobic chanting from the home supporters that the teenager, a Muslim, condemned.“To those who sing these things: using a religion as a form of mockery on a pitch shows you up as ignorant and racist,” wrote Yamal on social media.Yamal has shown maturity beyond his years since bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old, including starring for Spain as they won Euro 2024 and blossoming further still as Barca claimed a domestic treble last season. Advertisement The youngster, often compared to another graduate from Barca’s La Masia youth academy, Lionel Messi, seems to save his best performances for the biggest occasions.Yamal …
