In his twelve matches against Ernesto Valverde since arriving at Atletico Madrid, Diego Simeone has never lost.
On Sunday, they do battle again at the Camp Nou in a clash that will either potentially decide the league title, or open up the race again.
There is only one precedent with the two in their current teams, the 1-1 draw at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano when Saul Niguez opened the scoring in the 21st minute, only for Luis Suarez to equalise on 82.Last Tuesday, Simeone was full of praise for his opposite number, still unbeaten in LaLiga after 26 matches.
"Many doubted Valverde when he came to Barcelona," he said."After being in Bilbao and playing with another system totally different from the one Barcelona has historically become accustomed to, he is doing better than anyone else.
"He is unbeaten, with a 4-4-2 system consisting of four midfielders without many attacking characteristics, but who play a more positional game."
This Sunday will be the thirteenth duel between the pair, and Simeone is yet to taste defeat against his opposite number; eight wins and four draws, corresponding to his time at Athletic and Valencia as well as the game earlier this season. The first game was a 1-1 draw when Valverde was with Los Che, coming on March 31, 2013, with goals from Radamel Falcao and Jonas Goncalves.
Last October was the same outcome and those are two of the four draws between them. The other two were a 0-0 at the Estadio Vicente Calderon, on May 2, 2015, when Valverde was at Athletic Club, and a 2-2 on January 22, 2016, in the new San Mames, when a goal by Antoine Griezmann equalised.
Simeone's most recent win came on May 21, 2017, at the Vicente Calderon, with Atleti overcoming Los Leones 3-1.
He also won three times more in that stadium (2-0 and 1-0 in 2013/14 in the League and the Copa del Rey and 2-1 in 2015/16), and four times in the new San Mames: two 2-1 results in 2013/14, a 4-1 in 2014/15 and a 1-0 in 2015/16.
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