Barcelona face familiar threat as Atletico Madrid superstar boasts impressive record against Catalans

Barcelona face familiar threat as Atletico Madrid superstar boasts impressive record against Catalans Barcelona travel to the Metropolitano to face Atletico Madrid as they look to reclaim their place at the top of the table from Real Madrid. Los Blancos provisionally went ahead of them after securing a 3-0 victory over Valencia, and Barça need to win to keep up the pressure. However, Diego Simeone has a dangerous weapon at his disposal. According to Diario AS , Julian Alvarez has enjoyed tremendous success against Barcelona. The Catalans have emerged as the Argentine striker’s most productive opponents since joining the Spanish club. Alvarez has repeatedly punished Barcelona Alvarez has registered four goals and two assists in nine appearances against Barça , scoring in La Liga , the Champions League and the Copa del Rey . The 26-year-old has also scored four goals each against Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, but his six goal contributions against Barcelona remain his highest tally. Julian Alvarez was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) His most devastating performances came last season, when Atletico eliminated Barcelona from both the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. Alvarez found the back of the net in the 4-0 Copa del Rey victory at the Metropolitano before scoring a spectacular free-kick in the 2-0 Champions League victory at Camp Nou . He had also scored twice against Barça in the 2024/25 season, but Flick’s men emerged victorious on both occasions. A familiar face with an interesting Barcelona connection What makes Sunday’s reunion particularly interesting is what transpired over the summer. Alvarez was heavily linked with a move to the Catalan club , and Barcelona had made him their dream target all along. However, Atletico remained resolute in their decision not to sell him at any price and ended up keeping him. Barcelona should stop the 26-year-old from adding to his tally against them. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images) This unsurprisingly saw the 26-year-old endure an inconsistent start to the campaign before showing signs of improvement recently. His movement between the lines and ability to exploit the space behind Flick’s aggressive defensive line could cause problems for Barcelona. With Rodri unavailable, the Catalans will be missing one of their main midfield stars, which could see them lose some control against Atletico. In his absence, either Frenkie de Jong or Marc Bernal could end up starting in midfield. Atletico should try to exploit this area. Barcelona must ensure they don’t give Atletico Madrid’s attackers too much freedom, and it remains to be seen how the game pans out.