Barcelona locker room eager for revenge against Atletico Madrid after last season’s heartbreak

Barcelona locker room eager for revenge against Atletico Madrid after last season’s heartbreak According to SPORT , the Barcelona locker room is intent on exacting revenge on Atletico Madrid ahead of tomorrow’s La Liga contest between the two teams at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. As per the report, last season’s defeats against the Colchoneros in the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League left a bitter feeling in the dressing room. As such, there is a strong desire to put things right when the sides meet again tomorrow at the Metropolitano. Atletico Madrid dealt double blow to Barcelona last season Barcelona and Atletico Madrid met six times across La Liga, the Copa del Rey and Champions League last season. While the Blaugrana had the better overall record (W4 L2), Diego Simeone’s men won the two knockout contests that mattered most. Indeed, Atleti knocked Barça out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage having already done so in the Copa del Rey semi-finals. Atletico Madrid eliminated Barcelona from the UCL. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) Hansi Flick’s Barcelona had high hopes of reaching the latter stages of both competitions, but Atletico Madrid brought those crashing down. The Catalans suffered a 0-2 loss at the Spotify Camp Nou in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final, affected by the first-half red card to Pau Cubarsi. Flick’s men put up a fight at the Metropolitano in the second leg and won 2-1 despite Eric Garcia being sent off, but were eliminated from the competition on aggregate scoreline. Apart from the defeat, Barcelona felt disappointed with some questionable refereeing decisions that they believed went against them during the tie. Meanwhile, the Copa del Rey semi-final tie saw Barça lose 4-0 in the first leg while managing only a 3-0 win in the second leg at home, leading to their elimination. Barcelona faced heartbreak in the Copa del Rey as well. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Barcelona eager to reassert themselves The stinging defeats, coupled with tensions between the two clubs off the pitch throughout the summer, has given tomorrow’s match an extra edge. Moreover, the top spot in the La Liga table is also on the line as Atletico Madrid can usurp Barcelona in pole position if they secure all three points at the Metropolitano. As such, there is added motivation within the Barcelona locker room to pick up a victory tomorrow – not only to get revenge for last season’s heartbreak but also to consolidate their position at the top of the standings. In addition to that, Barça also have another point to prove. Following the losses to PSG and Real Madrid last month, questions have been asked of the team’s ability to get results in big matches. Within the locker room, there is no doubt about the direction the team is headed under Flick and the sporting project. As such, there is a belief that winning against Atletico Madrid tomorrow will deliver that exact message to the critics.