As a coach, Hansi Flick has not had to play against any other Spanish club as often as against Atletico Madrid. Now there are three games in ten days.
Hansi Flick doesn’t have any good memories of February 12, 2026. That Thursday he suffered his worst defeat to date as coach of FC Barcelona. Atletico Madrid suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. After a bad first half, the result was already clear at halftime.
Statisticians had to dig deep to unearth something similarly disastrous. In fact, it was 1953 when Barcelona had previously been 4-0 down at half-time. Back then against Real Madrid. Although the Catalans won the second leg at home 3-0, that was no longer enough to make it to the final.
Flick: “Very difficult”
It’s no surprise that Flick wasn’t too happy that his team was also drawn with Atletico for the quarter-finals of the Champions League. On Wednesday (April 8th) Barca awaits the Madrilenians for the first leg at their home Camp Nou, and on Tuesday (April 14th) the second leg takes place in the Spanish capital. Even after the 7-2 gala in the second leg of the round of 16 against Newcastle, Flick didn’t want to join in with the general euphoria. “The next round”emphasized the former national coach “very difficult”.
But first they meet on Saturday (April 4th) for the league game in Madrid. Flick and his FC Barcelona have to play against Atletico three times in ten days, games four, five and six against each other this season. Barca won the league first leg 3-1 at the beginning of December.
Both need the points in the league
There’s a lot at stake on Saturday. In the fight for the championship, Barca cannot afford to make any mistakes. Although the lead over their closest rival Real Madrid is four points thick, there is still a direct duel between the two arch-rivals in April. Atletico, for their part, needs every point to secure fourth place in the table and thus qualify for the premier class again.
Atletico is a long-running favorite for Flick. As a coach, he has not had to play against any other Spanish club as often as against “Los Colchoneros”: so far seven times with FC Barcelona and twice with FC Bayern Munich.
Spectacular games
Flick’s record is positive with five wins, two draws and two defeats, but it was never easy. And it was always emotional, because even when Flick was at Bayern, Diego Simeone was on the sidelines at Atletico and he is known for his impulsiveness.
Plus, it was often spectacular. Especially in February 2025 in the semi-final first leg of the Copa del Rey. In the 4-4 draw at Camp Nou, Barcelona turned a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead, only to concede two goals in the end.
Respect is great
The respect is correspondingly great. Flick never tires of Atletico with its top stars Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann “fantastic team” and his coach Diego Simeone as “one of the best trainers” to name the world.
Barcelona without Raphinha
Bitter for Flick: He has to do without his top player in the three games against Atletico. The Brazilian Raphinha injured his thigh in the international match against France (1:2) and is out. Raphinha is one of the most important players in Flick’s offensive system.
