Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid record analysed

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Champions League showdown 

©TM/IMAGO

While they don’t dominate the headlines in Spain like Barcelona or Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid are quietly enjoying an excellent campaign. As we enter the business end of the season, Diego Simeone’s men hold realistic ambitions in three competitions but their fortunes, as ever, will be dependent on their results against their two domestic rivals. The LaLiga title racing is shaping up to be the most thrilling across Europe’s top leagues with just one point separating the top three.

Atlético have lost just once in their last 26 games, winning 21 games, with Simeone’s men displaying their renowned resilience to position themselves to lift silverware. The blockbuster draw for the last 16 of the Champions League pitted Atletico against their City rivals and they have the second leg of their  Barcelona Copa Del Rey semi-final on the horizon – the first leg ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw. Atlético also play Barcelona next month in LaLiga and we’ve analysed Simeone’s managerial record against the biggest two clubs in Spain with their ambitions this season hinging on those showdowns.

Diego Simeone’s managerial record against Barcelona

Although Atlético claimed a famous win away to Barcelona in December, Simeone’s record against the Catalan club doesn’t make for good reading. The Argentine manager has only won six in 38 games against Barcelona since taking the reins at Atlético in 2011. Simeone emerged victorious just once in his first 16 games against Barcelona – a 1-0 win to progress to the Champions League semi-finals in 2014.

As the graphic above illustrates, Barcelona have firmly had the upper hand against Atlético during Simeone’s tenure. The 54-year-old has lost 20 times against Barca (54%) and Atlético have lost six of the last seven encounters despite the problems at the Camp Nou club. Although it’s to be expected given the imbalanced nature of LaLiga, Atlético’s record against Barcelona and Real Madrid is considerably worse than against other Spanish top-flight clubs.

Diego Simeone’s managerial record against Real Madrid

Simeone has faced Real Madrid more than any other club as Atlético Madrid manager (45 games). While his head-to-head record is better against Real than Barcelona, Simeone has still only won 26.7% of games against his city rivals. There’s been some famous defeats against Los Blancos, including two defeats in Champions League finals. There is cause for optimism that Atlético can banish those Champions League demons as they’ve only lost once against Real in their last seven meetings.