Diego Simeone, coach of Atlético Madrid, faces Barcelona in another La Liga match, with the goal of achieving his first away victory against the Catalans. Despite not having won yet, Simeone has not lost hope and continues to look for ways to improve his team's performance in this difficult terrain.

"Honestly, it's a good thing that I haven’t won yet in Barcelona, because I’ve managed to win everywhere else in La Liga. So, I always prefer to continue challenging myself to improve. It’s clear that it’s been very tough for us, the numbers speak for themselves, and obviously, I haven’t found the key until today," said Simeone in a press conference after training at the Majadahonda Sports City.

Barcelona and the La Liga Challenge: Is This Match Decisive?

Simeone also denied that the match against Barcelona is decisive in the La Liga race. He assured that, although it’s an important game, there are still "20 more matches" to play, meaning the road to the title is long.

"If we only focus on this because we’re playing against Barcelona, we’re heading in the wrong direction. We need to approach this challenge everywhere. If you think that just beating Barcelona will open the door to something important, no one can guarantee that, because there are 20 more games. The focus and intention shouldn’t depend on the venue," Simeone emphasized.

Atlético Madrid’s Fight for the Top Spot

Atlético Madrid is currently on par with last year’s tally, with 38 points, and remains in the upper part of the table. According to Simeone, the team is following the same path as in previous seasons, but it will also depend on the results of their rivals.

"I believe that, if I’m not mistaken, we have almost the same points as last year. We are going through the usual paths we take. After that, we’ll see how the results from the other teams affect how far we can continue competing, as we’d like," Simeone analyzed, comparing the current performance with last season.

Raphinha, a Standout Player

Simeone took the opportunity to praise Raphinha, one of Barcelona’s standout players. The Argentine coach highlighted the Brazilian forward’s ability to break defenses and his bravery on the field.

"They have Raphinha, who I have no doubt is one of the best players in the league because of his ability to break through, his courage, and his style of play. And we have our strengths to compete in a match that will surely be entertaining," Simeone said.

How Can Atlético Hurt Barcelona?

Regarding Atlético’s chances of causing problems for Barcelona, Simeone said the key will be to take advantage of goal-scoring opportunities created by Barcelona’s style of play. While Xavi’s team is aggressive and presses high, Atlético must be decisive in capitalizing on those chances.

"Goal-scoring situations, due to their style of play, obviously arise. It depends on the opponents’ ability to be clinical with those goal-scoring opportunities. But, consequently, these situations occur because they pressure you continuously, take away your time to think, and place many players in your half to try to control the game in different ways, with various attacking setups," Simeone explained.

Barcelona’s Playing Style

Despite Barcelona’s recent setbacks, Simeone doesn’t believe the team will change its style of play, as they believe this approach still generates good results.

"Surely, they aim for that pressure, as they’ve shown since the start of the season. They haven’t changed and I don’t think they will, because it has worked well for them, despite the recent setbacks. In every match, they’ve dominated, played better than the opponent, and created chances to win the games they lost," Simeone analyzed.

The Absence of Lamine Yamal

Barcelona will be without Lamine Yamal, one of their key offensive prospects. Simeone acknowledged the quality of the young forward but pointed out that Barcelona has other attacking options such as Ferran Torres, Pedri, and Olmo.

"Clearly, he’s an extraordinary player, who has been growing day by day in duels and is undoubtedly one of the best in the offensive area. Barcelona doesn’t have similar players to him, but they have others like Ferran, Pedri, Olmo, or anyone who can play in that position to look for other ways to achieve their goals," said Atlético’s coach.

Conor Gallagher as a New Face in the Starting Lineup

One of the main changes in Simeone’s starting XI will be the inclusion of Conor Gallagher, who will replace Samuel Lino. Simeone explained that Gallagher will add more defensive work and attacking capability.

"Conor gives us more defensive work as a midfielder with second-line attacking runs, which he does very well, and much more work recovering the ball in midfield," commented the coach on Gallagher’s inclusion.

Julián Álvarez, Key in Atlético Madrid’s Attack

The coach also highlighted Julián Álvarez’s great adaptation to Atlético’s system. For Simeone, the Argentine forward has integrated perfectly into the team, and now the key is surrounding him with players who can maximize his abilities.

"With players of Julián’s caliber, it’s very difficult to add much more to his game. It’s simply about surrounding him with people who can help bring out his best football," Simeone explained.