FC Barcelona are set to face Atletico Madrid in their upcoming match in La Liga on Sunday, and this game will see two players with intriguingly related fates face off against each other.
These two players are Antoine Griezmann and Joao Felix, who are opposites of one another as Griezmann has been starring for Atletico Madrid while being unable to gain much prominence at Barcelona, while Felix has been an important player for Xavi this season but failed to live up to the expectations during his time at Atletico Madrid.
There has been significant speculation about why Felix was unable to shine at Atletico Madrid, and Griezmann has provided his input into the debate in an interview before his match with Barcelona, which has been reported by SPORT. The former Barcelona striker commented about Felix:
“When you arrive here, you know how the coach, the team, works, and either you adapt and work for it, or things don’t work out for you.”
“There were moments when Joao did very well, worked very hard, but you have to be consistent. Perhaps there came a moment where he got tired, didn’t see himself here, and that’s why he made the effort, and the club as well, to facilitate his departure.”
In addition to his comments about Felix, Griezmann also talked about the match ahead, and was confident that his team could take advantage of the weaknesses that Barcelona has shown in recent weeks:
“There’s still a lot of the league left; we’re in a good place, there’s a good group, and everyone is enjoying it. Barcelona is facing uncertainties; we need to carefully analyze how they attack and defend, but I believe we’ll be ready for this match”
Griezmann went on to share how much he personally wanted to win a La Liga title, something he has been unable to do despite his otherwise stellar career in Spain:
“I’m eager to win one; I never did, and we have to do everything possible to reach the last two or three matches and be as high up as possible.”
Joao Felix and Antoine Griezmann will definitely be among the players with most eyes on them when Barcelona and Atletico Madrid meet this Sunday.
While Griezmann is hoping to take advantage of Barcelona’s weaknesses, Xavi will be hoping that his team can show the same spirit they showed against Porto, and ensure they remain competitive in the title race.
