Barcelona and Atlético clashes defy predictions

Attention turns to the clash between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid on Sunday evening in La Liga, as the league leaders face the second-placed team. Both teams have made a strong start, with neither suffering more than one defeat in their first 11 matches.

Mundo Deportivo reports that matches between the two teams since Hans Flick took over as coach of Barcelona have been hard to predict. Despite the Catalan side's superiority in last season's league matches, winning 3-1 and 2-1, the cup encounters have brought harsh results for the Blaugrana.

Barcelona suffered a heavy defeat, losing 4-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, before exiting the Champions League after a 2-0 loss at Camp Nou. This result made their task of returning to the competition more difficult and pushed them further away from European contention.

Diego Simeone excels at exploiting spaces behind Barcelona's high defense, as seen in their first encounter under Flick, when Atlético snatched victory with a 2-1 win in Montjuïc thanks to a goal from Sørloth in the 96th minute.

Despite this, Barcelona succeeded in winning at the Metropolitano Stadium in the league last season, and they eliminated Atlético from the Copa del Rey after the first leg ended in a 4-4 draw, before Ferran Torres secured qualification with the winning goal in the return leg.

Sunday's clash presents Barcelona with an opportunity to strengthen their lead, while Atlético Madrid can reduce the gap, and José Mourinho may benefit from a draw between the two teams.