Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona combined XI: Atleti dominate the rack, but who leads the line?

All eyes will be on Riyadh Air Metropolitano when Atletico Madrid and Barcelona battle for supremacy on Sunday night.

Diego Simeone's side head into this clash in scintillating form and with an organised defence, having strung together seven consecutive top-flight victories with five clean sheets during that stretch. They currently occupy second spot on the table with 28 points, 22 goals scored, and just eight conceded in 11 league matches.

Barcelona, who kicked off their campaign with nine consecutive wins, faced a reality check in last month's El Clasico defeat at the Spotify Camp Nou. However, Hansi Flick's men have bounced back from that loss with a resounding 6-1 thrashing of Deportivo Alaves, and they head into this fixture leading the standings with 30 points, 46 goals scored, and 12 conceded.

Ahead of this mouthwatering clash, FootballWhispers walks you through the combined best XI, with data from Sportsmonks. These are the highest-rated players between these teams in their respective positions, as determined by their performances. Atleti contributed six players, with Barcelona adding the remaining five.

GK: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)

Jan Oblak (rated 6.9) edged out Barcelona's Joan Garcia to keep the gloves in the combined best XI. By no small measure, his place in this team is primarily due to his elite consistency, superior shot-stopping metrics, and exceptional organisational command within a defensively resilient Atleti setup.

RB: Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid)

Marcos Llorente has been a dependable, high-performing presence for Simeone's outfit in La Liga. Operating primarily in a right-back role this term, he continues to be one of the squad's most physically reliable and tactically versatile options.

The former Real Madrid man boasts a high pass accuracy of 93%, completing over 50 passes per match while chipping in with one assist and consistently turning in a strong average rating of 7.1. Offensively, he has registered six shots on target in 11 league games.

CB: Eric Garcia (Barcelona)

One of Barcelona's most versatile players, Eric Garcia has been a key part of coach Flick's setup, and has been deployed at right-back, centre-back and midfield a couple of times. He earns his place this time at centre-back ahead of his teammates Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin, as well as Atleti's Marc Pubill, with a rating of 7.1.

Garcia has not played since the win over Real Betis on 17 October because of a right thigh muscle injury, but the 25-year-old has recovered just in time for this game, returned to full training with the squad, and received the green light to don the Barcelona shirt for the ninth time this season in the top flight; at the time of writing, he has one goal and one assist to his name.

CB: David Hancko (Atletico Madrid)

David Hancko has been a solid rock, an indispensable, and a high-performing member of Simeone's side this season. Operating primarily as a reliable centre-back, his robust physicality, tactical intelligence, and consistency have made him one of the first names on the team sheet.

LB: Alejandro Grimaldo (Atletico Madrid)

Experienced left-back Alejandro Grimaldo has captivated hearts in his first season at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. The former Bayer Leverkusen player has brought his defending and attacking talents to the fore in La Liga and will enter the match as one of the most productive left-backs, with four goals and two assists to his name.

The 31-year-old faced stiff competition from Joao Cancelo of Barcelona but ultimately triumphed to secure his place in the combined best XI with an average rating of 7.4. He has appeared in 10 league matches for the Madrid side this term.

LCM: Kang-in Lee (Atletico Madrid)

Kang-In Lee can effortlessly play in midfield and attack, and has become Simeone's best signing of the summer. The former Paris Saint-Germain player has brought flair, close control, and technical security to the squad's attacking transitions and has demonstrated his defensive abilities. In 10 La Liga appearances, Lee has bagged two goals and one assist and has earned a solid average match rating of 7.2.

CDM: Rodri (Barcelona)

Rodri is the gear that makes this Barcelona team flow in the middle of the park. The former Manchester City man has combined effortly with Pedri in Flick's double pivot this campaign.

With an average rating of 7.4, the former Ballon d'or winner dictates the tempo, controls the rhythm and unlocks low blocks with his visionary passes. This allows his teammates to find space up front to score goals.

The 30-year-old has played 10 league matches for Barcelona so far, created three big chances, scored and assisted one apiece. He is the third player in the combined XI who will miss the clash through injury.

RCM: Fermin Lopez (Barcelona)

Fermin Lopez has established himself as one of Barcelona's standout performers this season. He combines relentless energy, tactical intelligence, and explosive direct output in the final third.

Operating primarily as an advanced or central midfielder, he has capitalised brilliantly on his opportunities to become an indispensable engine for the team. The 23-year-old has racked up five goals from 10 shots on target and five assists in just 10 La Liga appearances, which places him among the top creators in the league.

RW: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)

One of football's most gifted players and unarguably one of the biggest names in La Liga, Lamine Yamal is the highest-rated player so far this campaign by Sportsmonks. The 17-year-old has featured in every league game for Barcelona this term, tormenting seasoned full-backs with his mesmerising left-foot dribbling and visionary passes into the box.

Yamal has bagged 10 league goals from 19 shots on target, while his creativity has earned him seven assists already.

CF: Raphinha (Barcelona)

Raphinha's place as the centre forward in this selection is by no means undeserved; the former Leeds United man is the best forward in La Liga so far this season and has an 8.3 rating ahead of this trip.

Deployed as a false 9 this campaign following the departure of Robert Lewandowski and the club's failure to bring in Julian Alvarez last summer, the Brazilian has become accustomed to his new role, punishing defences with his blistering speed and lethal finishing to lead the scoring charts with 15 goals from his 19 shots on target in 10 matches, while also registering three assists.

LW: Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid)

Alex Baena has been Atleti's best winger this season, and his place in the combined best XI of this fixture is highly deserved. The former Villarreal man has featured in all 11 league matches for Simeone's side, scored five goals and provided three assists to his teammates.

In this position, Baena overcame competition from Barcelona duo Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi. He is expected to start this weekend as the hosts look to halt their three-game losing streak against Barcelona in this competition.