FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - LaLiga - Atletico Madrid v Getafe - Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain - December 15, 2024 Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone before the match REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo
(Reuters) - Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone is currently the longest serving manager in LaLiga but despite winning the league twice, he has yet to achieve a victory away at title rivals Barcelona, a challenge the Argentine is looking forward to on Saturday.
Atletico travel to Barcelona with both teams on 38 points, a situation that seemed unimaginable less than two months ago when Barca were 10 points clear.
Simeone's red-hot side have stitched together an incredible 11-match winning run in all competitions, effectively erasing Barca's lead - with a game in hand - ahead of the final match of the year before the winter break.
"What we've been talking about for a month and a half, the team is working well as a unit, looking for opportunities in each game to hurt the opponent, to compete and improve," Simeone told reporters on Friday.
"We face a team that plays very well, I like their youth in the midfield, Raphinha is one of the best in the league for his courage and style of play. We have our strengths for a game that will surely be entertaining."
Although Atletico have not won away at Barcelona since 2006, Simeone still remembers how they won the league at the Camp Nou with a draw in the final game of the 2013-14 season.
"It's a good thing I haven't won there in my life. I've won everywhere and I've won a league there," Simeone said.
"It's a challenge to improve. It has cost us a lot, the numbers speak for themselves. Obviously I haven't found the key."
New signing Julian Alvarez has taken time to find his feet at Atletico but their recent form has coincided with an uptick in his output, with the 24-year-old netting 12 times in all competitions so far to top the club's scoring charts.
Alvarez has scored more goals than Antoine Griezmann and Alexander Sorloth, one of LaLiga's top scorers last season but who has been relegated to the bench in this campaign.
"With players of Julian's calibre, it's very difficult to add more to his football," Simeone said.
"We have to try to surround him with people who can generate his best play and from there, the positioning he's had in these last few games gives him more freedom to generate what he generates.
"I'd like to put Sorloth, Griezmann and Julian together, but then the rest of the team will be exposed."
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
