Luis Enrique and Diego Simeone past battles

[[DES_1]] The FC Barcelona coach Luis Enrique and Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone will meet for the second time in a league game between the two sides at Camp Nou. On this occasions the two men will be looking on from the dugout unlike in their previous confrontation when both me were out there battling it out on the field of play. That encounter came in a Barça-Atlético clash back in the season 1996/97 when the game ended 3-3, Luis Enrique scoring one of the blaugranes’ goals.

Even though they never met again as players in the league, they did come face to face in another duel between the Catalans and the men from Madrid. The game was in the same season as their league meeting, but in contrast it was at the Vicente Calderón  in the quarter finals of the Spanish Cup. A 2-2 draw in Madrid helped Barça through the tie and set them on their way to claiming the trophy that season.

Battles in other teams

Luis Enrique and Simeone did not only face each other on the field as Barça and Atlético Madrid players. In the two seasons 92/93 and 93/94, they met when the Asturian was at Real Madrid and the Argentine was still a Sevilla player. In their first meeting as players Luis Enrique emerged victorious with Real Madrid winning 5-0 in the Santiago Bernabéu. Diego Simeone had his revenge later that season when Sevilla won 2-0 in Andalusia. The following campaign the game in the capital ended in a goalless draw with Real Madrid winning 1-0 in the Sánchez Pizjuan.

Finally, Luis Enrique and Simeone also clashed in two international fixtures. The current Barça coach came off better in the first game between Spain and Argentina in 1995/96 but it was Simeone who was the victor in the second, the ‘albiceleste’ winning 2-0 in the season 1999/2000.

Overall, Luis Enrique has the upper hand in his encounters with his Atlético counterpart as in eight games he has three wins, three draws and two defeats.