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Simeone has defeated Sevilla just 10 times in 23 matches while in charge of the reigning champions.
One of the most intense and evenly balanced fixtures in Spanish football takes place this Saturday night at 9pm CET, as Sevilla host Atlético de Madrid at a boisterous Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan. A late Marcos Acuña header earned Sevilla a 1-0 win in this fixture in April last season, a result that seriously dented Atleti’s title hopes even if they ultimately went on to finish top.
Diego Simeone now returns in charge of the reigning champions to Sevilla, who sit ahead of his side in the LaLiga Santander standings. Sevilla are the closest side to leaders Real Madrid, with fellow Seville side Real Betis third and Atleti fourth.
The implications of the three points on offer add extra spice to an already intense rivalry. Despite being based in different cities, this one of the fixtures the two fanbases look forward to the most when the schedule comes out at the start of the season.
Simeone, though, doesn’t always enjoy this fixture, as Sevilla are one of the opponents he has struggled the most against since taking over the Atlético de Madrid dugout 10 years ago this month. In that time, he has faced the Nervionenses on 23 occasions and has won just 10 of those meetings, with that winning percentage of 43 percent the 45th lowest of all the clubs he has taken on as Atleti manager. There have also been nine draws and four Sevilla wins, but the rivalry has been tighter than ever in recent years, with each team winning their home meeting last year and with the previous four encounters ending in draws.
As tight as these games usually are, they do almost always produce goals. Over the 23 meetings held during the previous decade, only two of the matches were goalless and both teams scored in more than half of these clashes, in 13 of them.
A true South American flavour
This might even feel like a South American kind of clash, with many players from this continent across both the squads. Sevilla have seven South American players in their 2021/22 first-team roster: Argentines Erik Lamela, Marcos Acuña, Gonzalo Montiel, Papu Gómez and Lucas Ocampos alongside Brazilians Diego Carlos and Fernando Reges. Atlético, in addition to their coach, have seven South Americans too: Uruguayans José María Giménez and Luis Suárez, Argentines Ángel Correa and Rodrigo de Paul, and Brazilians Felipe, Renan Lodi and Matheus Cunha.
While Erik Lamela is set to miss out with injury, many of the others are likely to start and some of these players are absolutely key to the way their respective teams play. For Sevilla, Acuña and Montiel are likely to be the starting full-backs and they are so important to the team’s attacks from out wide. At Atlético, Suárez, Correa and Cunha are each among the club’s top five scorers this season.
Simeone’s Sevilla past
For Simeone, this isn’t only a tough fixture against a tough opponent. It’s also a return to his former home; Sevilla were the first Spanish club El Cholo played for during his playing career, spending 1992/93 and 1993/94 at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
The midfielder was signed by Carlos Bilardo and partnered Diego Maradona in that 1992/93 Sevilla team. He stayed on for 1993/94 after the other two Argentines had left, getting a chance that season to work under Atlético and Spain legend Luis Aragonés.
It was against Atlético that he scored his best Sevilla goal, forcing an effort in from the halfway line in a friendly between the two teams, and it was against Atlético that he had his best performance, heading in both goals of a 2-1 home victory for Sevilla in LaLiga Santander. This weekend, though, Simeone will be doing all he can to ensure the three points go to the away side.
Watch Sevilla FC vs Atletico de Madrid live this Sunday at 4:00am on BeINSports
