The six clashes between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid during 2013/14 were enthralling, engrossing, encounters.
Atletico's improvement from an Uefa Champions League qualifier to a Primera Liga winning title side became evident as Barca were unable to defeat them.
Five of the games were drawn, including the first two in Spain’s Super Cup. Away goals meant Barca won, unfairly in the eyes of the Atletico players who used the memories of the Catalan side lifting the trophy to motivate them when they kept meeting again throughout that season.
It worked. Barca did not manage a single win while Atletico eliminated them from in the Champions League semi-final.
The pair also met on the final day of the season, with both teams going for the league title. A win for either would have meant the title. A draw, thanks to a Diego Godin equaliser, brought Atletico’s first league title since 1996.
Atletico were masters of frustration, a highly organised team who would give everything for their coach Diego Simeone. They were generously applauded on the Camp Nou pitch by the home fans, who then turned on their own.
Barca fired Tata Martino that summer and replaced him with Luis Enrique, who finally got the measure of Atletico.
When Barca and Atletico met last season, Barca won all four clashes in league and cup, reclaiming the league title on the way to winning every trophy they entered.
This term, Barca won September’s tight league game at the Calderon. Goalless at half-time, Fernando Torres put his side ahead before goals by Neymar and Lionel Messi secured an important win.
Barca are richer with better players and a bigger squad. They were able to sign Arda Turan, the Turkish wide man who turns 29 on Saturday and who was one of Atletico’s best players, because they are Barca. Turan faces his former teammates for the first time at a club where he earns more money, receives more recognition and will likely lift more trophies.
He said recently that the difference between the two coaches was that Simeone focused more on defence, Luis Enrique on attack.
Barca are thus hoping to make it six wins against Atletico, but Atletico have not crumbled since that 2014 title win.
Their team has stayed largely intact, their manager is just as well respected and achieves equally consistent results from his players.
To Simeone’s great credit, he has broken up the duopoly of Spain’s big two.
Barca v Real is seen as the pinnacle in Spanish football, but Barca and Atletico have been the country’s best two teams in the last three years.
That is also true of this season, with the pair both on 48 points at the top with more than half of the season gone. Barca do have a game in hand, but they are both four clear of Real Madrid.
Enrique rightly considers Atletico serious title contenders. They have by far the best defence in Spain, with only eight goals conceded in 21 league games compared to the 16 leaked by Barca and 20 by Real Madrid.
Atletico did, though, concede three for the first time in a year midweek as they were eliminated from the Copa del Rey by Celta Vigo.
Atletico do not score as many as their bigger, richer rivals, with 30 goals to Barca’s 52 and Madrid’s 58, but they have by far the best away form in Spain.
Diego Simeone’s side have won eight of their 11 away league games and conceded a hard to believe three goals, three times less than any rivals.
That away form will be put to its toughest test at Camp Nou against a Barca side who – along with mid-table Valencia – boast the league’s only unbeaten home record.
Unbeaten Barca are favourites to win at Camp Nou, pushing them closer to a fifth title in seven years, but they were also favourites to win each of the six games in 2013/14 and look how that turned out.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport