The Spanish press is not yet making headlines on PSG/Atlético on the eve of the match, but the Spanish sports dailies are all covering the match in their inside pages. From the Luis Enrique/Diego Simeone duel to Atlético's record goal, including the return of Pablo Barrios, a small Spanish press review on D-1.
On this Real Madrid/AC Milan day, the Madrid press inevitably makes its headlines on this European poster. Carlo Ancelotti (Marca) and Alvaro Morato (AS), who wore the colors of the two clubs, appear on the front page of the two main Madrid sports dailies while the Catalan daily Sport puts on its front page the Italian coach, who complained yesterday at a press conference about having to play a football match while serious floods have devastated Spain in recent days.
And PSG/Atlético in all this? On the eve of the match, you have to go quite deep into the inside pages of each Spanish sports daily to find articles on the match. On the AS side, we devote a double page to the shock (pages 18 and 19 for the anecdote) and several subjects are discussed. The first concerns the “second knives” of Diego Simeone brought to have a real role to play Wednesday evening at the Parc des Princes due to the numerous absences. Javi Galan (left side), Clément Lenglet (left center) and Giuliano Simeone (right midfielder) are thus likely to start against PSG.
Atletico's record goal against Las Palmas
The young son of Diego Simeone also scored his first goal in the colors of Atlético on Sunday against Las Palmas. A goal which rewarded a great collective action from the Colchoneros, who chained 27 passes before the goal of the Italian-Argentinian striker, the most “collective” goal since the start of the La Liga season.
The Madrid daily AS, via its correspondent in Paris, also returns in its today's edition to the aborted transfer of Edinson Cavani to Atlético, in January 2020, as well as to the agreement reached between the Madrid club and Luis Enrique at in the summer of 2011, just before the current PSG coach finally decided to sign for AS Roma. Atlético opted that summer for Manzano, who was finally fired a few months later and replaced by Diego Simeone, who has remained in office ever since.
Pablo Barrios, « a return to hearing »
As for the daily Marca, we welcome the return from injury of Pablo Barrios, who played 45 minutes on Sunday against Las Palmas. “A golden return”says the Madrid daily, which recalls that the young 21-year-old Spanish midfielder has not lost a match this season (4 wins and 3 draws) and will return to the Parc des Princes on Wednesday where he was crowned Olympic champion. Last summer with Spain's Arnau Tenas.
“The return of Barrios against Las Palmas allowed Atlético to find the football, the rhythm and the legs that they lacked in Lisbon against Benfica, during the second half in which Lille returned to the Metropolitano and during of the third defeat of the season, at Benito Villamarín against Betis »writes Marca, therefore convinced that Barrios will start this Wednesday evening.
Luis Enrique's bitter defeat against Diego Simeone
Marca also looks back on Giuliano Simeone's record goal against Las Palmas as well as the history between Luis Enrique and Diego Simeone. The two men have faced each other 14 times during their career and Lucho has a very favorable record of 9 wins, 3 defeats (two with Celta, only one with Barça) and 2 draws.
But Luis Enrique's only defeat against Cholo on the Barça bench was painful since it was a Champions League quarter-final second leg, in 2016. Barça won 2-1 in the first leg. at the Camp Nou, but were beaten 2-0 in the return, thus putting an end to the “back to back” dream of Barça, who had achieved the treble the season before.
Giuliano Simeone, Atlético's best goal generator
Finally, on the Mundo Deportivo side, you have to go to page 20 to read content related to the PSG/Atlético match and it is once again Giuliano Simeone who is in the spotlight with an article highlighting his character decisive this season. In 360 minutes played, the son of the Madrid coach scored a goal, made an assist and caused a penalty.
Decisive every 120 minutes, Giuliano Simeone is thus the greatest “generator” of Atlético's goals this season, ahead of Antoine Griezmann (one goal generated every 127 minutes) and Julian Alvarez (one goal generated every 135 minutes). Who will support his candidacy a little more for the starting lineup this Wednesday evening?
