FC Barcelona will have the opportunity to build on their lead atop the La Liga standings when they host Atletico Madrid on Sunday.  However, if Atletico can somehow pull out a victory, they can reduce the gap between the two teams to just three points.

On the heels of a 2-0 loss in El Derbi madrileno, Atletico Madrid will take the field as the underdog, which is a far cry from the football club's early season success.

Nonetheless, the matchup should be a high-scoring one as superstar Lionel Messi is expected to be in the lineup for Barcelona while elite striker Radamel Falcao, who has reportedly garnered interest in a slew of rival football clubs, should be on the field for the Atletico squad.

On his home turf, El Tigre has continued to score goals at an astounding pace.  In his matchup versus Deportivo La Coruna, Falcoa hit the back of the net five times. 

However, the Columbian has still struggled to scored on the road with a mere two goals away from the Vicente Calderon.  More detrimentally, the team has only one goal in its last three away games.

In terms of fitness, Cesc Fabregas will more than likely remain out of action as he's still nursing an injured thigh.  Alexis Sanchez should get the start on the attack for Barcelona while Atletico will almost certainly give Diego Costa to both combat Barcelona and assist Falcoa up front.

CLICK HERE to watch Barcelona face off against Atletico Madrid via free live stream.  Coverage of the game is set to begin at 9 p.m. CET on Sunday, Dec 16.  The probable lineups can be viewed below.

Probable Lineups:

Barcelona:

Valdes; Pique, Puyol, Alba; Adriano, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Sanchez; Pedro, Messi 

Atletico Madrid:

Courtois; Godin, Luis, Diaz; Juanfran, Suarez, Koke, Turan, Gabi; Costa, Falcao 

Tags: La Liga International Soccer