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FC Barcelona v Paris Saint-Germain: Quarter-final Second Leg - UEFA Champions League 2023/24Getty Images Sport
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Video: PSG’s slaps and the Xavi incident… The ‘Barcelona vs Atlético’ whistle sparks tension

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Atlético Madrid and Barcelona are set to face off again this coming Wednesday evening, just four days after their La Liga clash on Saturday at the Metropolitano Stadium, where veteran Robert Lewandowski secured a 2-1 victory for the Catalans in the 87th minute.

Coach Hansi Flick’s side managed to secure all three points, though the match was overshadowed by controversy over the refereeing.

The clash between the two sides returns amid a tense atmosphere following Saturday’s encounter, as well as the UEFA appointment of a referee who is unpopular with fans of both teams.

  • No win… Disappointing results under Kovač

    UEFA has appointed Romanian referee István Kovács to officiate the upcoming match between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

    Atlético Madrid fans have bad memories of the Romanian referee from last summer, when he officiated the Spanish side’s match against Paris Saint-Germain, which saw Enrique’s team win 4-0 in the 2025 Club World Cup.

    On that occasion, Kovács came under fire from the fans, as well as from Rojiblancos manager Diego Simeone and team captain Koke.

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    The players had protested against what they considered the referee’s failure to send off Nuno Mendes in the first half, after he brought down Giuliano Simeone as he was through on goal, and then the sending-off of Lenglet in the second half, according to the newspaper El Desmarque, which said the Romanian referee had fuelled the controversy by disallowing a goal by Giuliano Alvarez (57'), following a VAR review that alerted the referee to a previous foul in the build-up to the goal against Koke.

    Furthermore, Atlético Madrid’s record under István Kovács offers little cause for optimism for Real Madrid fans; the Romanian referee has officiated five of their matches, none of which they have won: four defeats and one draw.

  • No doubt about it... "It was a disaster"!

    Barcelona’s situation is not much different when it comes to the Romanian referee; although he has only ever refereed two of their matches, Barça have failed to win in his presence either: one draw and one defeat.

    It was Barcelona’s most recent defeat under Kovac that sparked a wave of protests; ironically, they also lost to Paris Saint-Germain at Camp Nou in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

    Read also: Neymar chases World Cup dream with surprise surgery

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    In that match (April 2024), Barcelona voiced their complaints about Ronald Araújo’s sending-off and a penalty awarded for a foul by Cancelo on Dembélé. It ended with Xavi Hernández being sent off after protesting the referee’s decisions.

    Xavi said at the time: “I told the referee he was very poor, that he was a disaster. It’s sad that our Champions League campaign has come to an end because of a refereeing error.”

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