Barcelona represents the core of Spain's World Cup squad, however only a selected few will likely feature for their country in the game this evening. However, there is one La Liga rival that could eclipse representation in the starting XI’s of the two teams due to their influence in both teams.
That team is the team that knocked us out of the Champions League, Atletico Madrid. The club managed by Diego Simeone has six representatives in the Argentina squad with a further three (not including Alex Grimaldo) from the Spain squad.
Of the 52 players expected to walk out onto the pitch before kick-off, 25 are currently contracted to La Liga clubs. Athletic Club and Arsenal each contribute three players to the matchday squads, while Real Madrid have no representatives once Marc Cucurella, who is yet to make a competitive appearance for the club, is excluded.
Spain expected XI
In Spain's expected XI, Pau Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal are among the first names on the teamsheet if fit. Cubarsí has been a model of consistency throughout the World Cup, while Yamal's status as one of the world's brightest stars makes him an automatic starter whenever he is available.
The only real selection dilemma is in attacking midfield, where Dani Olmo and Pedri are competing for a place. Olmo is currently the favourite as Luis de la Fuente looks set to name an unchanged side for the final. Pedri, meanwhile, has yet to reach the heights he consistently produces for Barcelona, making this a relatively quiet tournament by his standards, with Fabian Ruiz proving a better option. Even if he does not start, the midfielder is almost certain to play an important role from the bench.
Eric Garcia and Joan Garcia are omitted, having yet to make an appearance at the tournament and with others firmly ahead of them in the pecking order. As for Gavi, there is a chance he could feature from the bench, but with his expected minutes likely to be limited, he is not considered a realistic option to start.
Álex Baena is the only player expected to start, having established himself on the left wing throughout the knockout stages. Marc Pubill and Marcos Llorente could also come into contention at right-back if Pedro Porro fails to recover from the injury he sustained in the semi-final. Those players are unlikely to come on to change the game or keep it stable.
Barcelona: 4 Atletico Madrid: 1
Argentina expected XI
In Argentina, there is only one player who commands the admiration of both Buenos Aires and Barcelona: Lionel Messi. Although he no longer wears the Blaugrana shirt, his connection with the Catalan club remains as strong as ever. However, there are no current Barcelona players in Argentina's World Cup squad.
Instead, Atlético Madrid provide the bulk of the Albiceleste contingent. Juan Musso, Nahuel Molina, Nicolás González, Julián Álvarez, Thiago Almada and Giuliano Simeone have all been selected by Lionel Scaloni.
Julián Álvarez and Nahuel Molina are expected to start the final, while Giuliano Simeone has an outside chance of keeping his place despite a limited attacking impact in the knockout rounds. Nicolás González earned his opportunity with an influential cameo in the semi-final victory over England and is likely to feature again from the bench or from the first whistle, while Thiago Almada remains an attacking option should Argentina need extra creativity during the match.
Barcelona: 0 Atletico Madrid: 5
Unfortunately, the Atletico contigent take it but lets hope that the Barcelona players will be celebrating come the end of the game.
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