Barcelona’s Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal during a Champions League quarter-final
Diego Simeone needs to find a way to beat Luis Enrique, because only a win will be enough.
Atletico Madrid will face Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the Champions League today, a week after losing to the defending champions 2-1 in the first leg.
Simeone’s Atletico has lost all seven matches against Barcelona since Luis Enrique took over the club in 2014. The Argentine’s overall record as a coach against the Catalan club boasts only one win in 16 games.
Simeone’s defensive-minded style has succeeded against most teams across Europe, but not when facing Luis Enrique’s Barcelona.
Atletico has lost every league game, and two Copa del Rey matches, after Luis Enrique’s arrival in Catalonia. He had not yet taken the job when Atletico eliminated Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals in 2014.
The only time Simeone succeeded was when Luis Enrique was in charge of Celta Vigo, winning their two encounters.
Last week’s loss was certainly one of the toughest for Simeone, who saw Atletico dominate and open a 1-0 lead at the Camp Nou until Fernando Torres’ sending off in the 35th minute allowed Barcelona to mount a comeback.
“We played a fantastic first half up to 30 minutes. In the second half, we tried to stay alive for the second leg,” Simeone said. “We are still alive. I imagine the Calderon packed and chanting throughout the whole game with enthusiasm.”
Atletico is trying to return to the semifinals for the first time since the runner-up finish to Real Madrid in 2014, when it eliminated Barcelona after a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou and a 1-0 win at the Calderon. Atletico is the only team to have kept Barcelona from reaching the semifinals in the last eight seasons.
Only twice the Catalan club has failed to advance after winning the first leg in its previous 40 attempts in UEFA competitions, but Atletico has to remain optimistic after reversing 2-1 first-leg losses five out of six times it happened in European competitions.
A draw today will be enough to keep alive Barcelona’s hopes of repeating the treble of Spanish league, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles.
“We are still close to reaching our goals,” Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta said. “We depend on ourselves.” Tales Azzoni, Madrid , AP
heightened rivalry
The intense first leg at the Camp Nou heightened the rivalry between the Spanish clubs, which are also in a close fight for the Spanish league title with only a few matches left.
Barcelona’s big lead dwindled to three points last weekend after a third consecutive game without a victory, while Atletico is continuing to pick up wins and gain confidence.
“We know what we have to do,” Atletico defender Lucas Hernandez said. “We know that we must go step by step and it is the only way to move forward, going step by step. Now we have to play a very important match and we’ll see what happens.”
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