It’s been 16 years since the teams last met as the top two in the league
This is a fixture that is traditionally full of goals – particularly the games between the two in the mid-90s
Local dominance
Barça and Atletico Madrid have met 75 times in the league in Barcelona, with the hosts winning 45, losing 13 and 17 ending in a draw.
Leaders Barça host second place Atletico Madrid on Sunday night with the visitors six points behind and it’s been 16 years since the teams last met as the top two in the league.
That last meeting was in week 37 of the 1995/6 season when the Madrid team came to the Camp Nou with a three point lead at the top over Johan Cruyff’s team and Radomir Antic’s team virtually sealed the title with a 1-3 win.
Long tradition
Games between the two have a long history of producing plenty of excitement and goals and in fact the fixture hasn’t ended goalless at all over the last 40 years. Barça have been on top over the last few seasons with big results like the 5-0 win in 2011/12, 3-0 in 2010/11, 5-2 in 2009/10 and 6-1 in 2008/09.
Those last few results echoed the great games in the mid-nineties with the four games between the two at the Camp Nou between 1993 and 1997 ending 4-3, 5-3, 1-3 and 3-3. Those were some close and decisive games to decide the destiny of the league title and Sunday’s promises to be just as crucial.