Barcelona face hostile Atletico Madrid welcome as old alliance against Real Madrid fades

Barcelona visit Atletico Madrid at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Sunday, 08 November 2026, with the two clubs battling for a leading position in La Liga and relations between their supporters at a particularly low point.

Alfredo Martinez, a writer for Catalan newspaper Sport, expects a highly charged occasion in Madrid. The match will be Barcelona’s first visit to Julian Alvarez’s side since the Argentina international was at the centre of a turbulent summer, although the tension between Alvarez and Atletico Madrid has eased after he returned to regular involvement and apologised publicly for his comments.

The dispute has not been completely resolved, Martinez wrote, but it now appears capable of healing – something that seemed unlikely when the controversy began.

Barcelona, however, are expected to receive a much more hostile reception. The relationship between the clubs deteriorated after Antoine Griezmann’s decision to move to Barcelona. A subsequent agreement for Barcelona to pay an additional 15m euros to prevent the case from reaching court further damaged relations.

“Two teams and fanbases that historically had a friendly, even close, relationship have become fierce rivals, almost impossible-to-reconcile enemies,” Martinez said.

He added that Atletico Madrid had developed significantly. Despite operating with a budget far below those of Real Madrid and Barcelona, Atletico Madrid regularly compete alongside them and look to take advantage whenever either of the two giants makes a mistake, whether in La Liga or the Copa del Rey.

‘All clubs contact players at other clubs’

Martinez argued that negotiations between clubs and players who remain under contract are common across football.

“The stubborn truth, whether people who reject it like it or not, is that all clubs contact players from other clubs, whether Atletico Madrid, Barcelona or anyone else,” he wrote.

He pointed to events involving Athletic Bilbao and Nico Williams last season. The player’s agent, Felix Tainta, admitted several days ago, in what Martinez described as a relaxed setting where people speak openly, that Williams had been interested in moving to Barcelona or at least listening to attractive offers from several leading European clubs.

Barcelona were fined only 602 euros over the alleged offence of speaking to Fernando Hidalgo, Julian Alvarez’s former agent, while Alvarez still had more than six months remaining on his contract with his current club.

Martinez believes those developments have helped turn the fixture into a much more bitter contest. Competition for trophies and European positions has intensified, while hostility between the supporters has grown sharply. Previously, Real Madrid had served as the shared enemy and principal rival for both clubs.

Despite the atmosphere awaiting Barcelona, Martinez said Hansi Flick’s team should not be intimidated. With players including Pedri, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, he believes Barcelona have the ability to win at difficult venues and demonstrate that they possess sufficient character.