Spain’s Diego Simeone and Germany’s Hansi Flick are set for their most thrilling and frequent head-to-head encounters yet, as they face each other three times in just 11 days, in a series of decisive matches that could determine Barcelona’s fate in La Liga and the Champions League.
The relationship between the two managers began years ago, and Simeone is Flick’s most frequent opponent to date, having faced him nine times: the German has won five, drawn twice and lost twice. The number of encounters between them will rise to 12 after the conclusion of the upcoming trio of matches.
This trio of matches kicks off tomorrow, Saturday, in the Spanish capital, Madrid, as part of the 30th round of La Liga, where Barcelona will be the visitors to Atlético Madrid, The two sides will then meet on 8 April in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, before concluding their encounters on 14 April in the return leg at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Flick’s record against Simeone is generally positive, starting with Bayern Munich’s crushing 4-0 victory over Atlético in the group stage of the 2020-2021 Champions League, followed by a 1-1 draw in the return leg in Madrid. Since taking charge of Barcelona, Flick has recorded two wins, a draw and a defeat against Los Rojiblancos.
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One of the standout encounters between the two sides last season saw Atlético beat Barcelona 2-1 in the league, before securing a resounding 4-0 victory in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.
In contrast, Barcelona put in a strong performance in the league match at Montjuïc, before securing their place in the cup final thanks to a goal from Ferran Torres in the second leg.
As for the current season, Barcelona secured a thrilling 3-1 victory over Atlético in their first major match since returning to Camp Nou, despite the absence of Rafeina and other significant injuries.
In contrast, Atlético dominated the first leg of the cup semi-final, securing a commanding 4-0 lead in the first half, before seeing out the match with the same scoreline despite Barcelona’s efforts in the second leg.
Barcelona currently top the league table, four points ahead of Real Madrid and sixteen points clear of Atlético Madrid, making Saturday’s match crucial to maintaining their lead.
As for Atlético, they will be looking to capitalise on home advantage and put pressure on their rivals at the start of this three-match series.