The build-up to Wednesday’s LaLiga clash between FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid was anything but calm. As the visitors’ coach pulled into the Spotify Camp Nou, a volley of loud boos rang out from a small group of home supporters gathered behind the barriers. The audible hostility, captured by Carrusel Deportivo’s cameras, underscored the high stakes and fierce rivalry between these two Spanish giants.
According to reports, two windows on the visitors’ coach were smashed, directly opposite where manager Diego Simeone was sitting. The impact is not clearly visible in the footage, though a loud bang can be heard, suggesting a stone was thrown.
This is not the first such incident: in early March, Atlético’s bus was also pelted with stones by angry Barcelona ultras shortly before the Copa del Rey semi-final.
Atlético had won the first leg of that cup tie 4–0, and although Barcelona fought back strongly at home, their 3–0 victory was not enough to reach the Copa del Rey final.
Simeone, visibly unimpressed, shrugged off the incident with typical candour. “Society hasn’t changed. We can’t alter it. This is nothing new; it’s what often happens when we visit Barcelona,” he told Spanish reporters.
The sides now meet again in the Champions League quarter-finals, with Wednesday’s first leg followed by the return fixture in Madrid next Tuesday. Last weekend, the Catalans edged out Simeone’s side 2-1 in LaLiga, thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s 87th-minute winner.
