Ademola Lookman is set to play a key role in Atletico Madrid’s strategy to curb the influence of Barcelona’s in-form winger, Lamine Yamal, in Tuesday's second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals at the Spotify Camp Nou.

Atletico Madrid recorded a resounding 4-0 victory over Barcelona in the first leg on February 12, with the Nigeria international finding the net and also registering an assist for Julián Alvarez in a commanding display.

According to Spanish sports daily Mundo Deportivo, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has entrusted Lookman with a crucial assignment as he seeks to limit the threat posed by Yamal, who has been in brilliant form this season with 32 goal involvements in 34 outings across all competitions.

In the build-up to the highly anticipated encounter, the Argentine football tactician experimented with deploying Ademola Lookman on the left wing.

Simeone later revealed during his pre-match press conference that one of the most effective ways to curb the influence of Yamal is to force the Barcelona winger into defensive duties.

Barcelona struggled in the first leg to contain the Nigerian, whose pace, movement and individual flair created persistent problems.

Simeone believes that making Yamal concentrate on tracking back and containing Lookman could significantly reduce his attacking threat.

Since joining Atletico Madrid in the winter transfer market, Lookman has been involved in a goal every 62 minutes and 26 seconds.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel