'We knocked them out twice!' - Diego Simeone praises Barcelona as 'best in the world' as Atletico Madrid manager reminisces over beating Hansi Flick's team

The Argentine was full of admiration for the recently crowned league champions, acknowledging the high level of performance Hansi Flick has extracted from the Catalan giants this term. The Blaugrana sealed the top-flight crown in spectacular fashion, beating fierce rivals Real Madrid 2-0 at the Spotify Camp Nou to open a 14-point lead over Alvaro Arbeloa's men with just three games left to play.

While Flick's side may be dominant in La Liga, Simeone's team have had the edge over them at times this season. The capital club were able to eliminate them from two key competitions, first knocking their rivals out of the Copa del Rey at the semi-final stage with a 4–3 aggregate victory over two legs before also beating them in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3–2 aggregate win.

Despite the glowing praise for their domestic rivals, Simeone was quick to pivot to his own team's resilience. The Atleti manager revealed that watching the recent Clasico sparked a sense of pride regarding how his players performed against such high-calibre opposition earlier in the season, specifically in knockout competitions.

"Barcelona is the team that plays the best in the world. They won the league playing very well, just like last season," he said. "And all I could think while watching the game was: 'We knocked this team out twice, my God!'”

Looking ahead to the clash at El Sadar, Simeone provided updates on his squad's fitness, particularly regarding defender Jose Maria Gimenez. The Uruguayan picked up a knock against Celta Vigo, but the diagnosis appears better than initially feared, which will be a relief for both club and country ahead of the summer's international commitments.

Simeone confirmed the situation, saying, "Luckily it is only a sprained ankle, and we hope he can arrive with strength at the World Cup to compete with Uruguay as he deserves." He also hinted at a younger-looking bench for the Osasuna match, noting: "We will look as always to make the best possible team and surely homegrown players will also participate and can take advantage of the beautiful occasion of playing with the first team."

Despite their ability to upset Barcelona in other competitions, the Catalan side won both La Liga encounters between the two teams this season. After knocking Barca out of the Copa del Rey, Simeone's side went on to lose to Real Sociedad in the final, while their Champions League victory against their domestic rivals was followed by a semi-final elimination at the hands of Arsenal. Atleti are currently on track to finish fourth in the Spanish top-flight, as they sit six points behind Villarreal with three games left to play. After Tuesday's trip to Osasuna, they will host Girona before finishing the campaign with an away game against Villarreal.

"Everything is real; there’s a slim chance in these last three matches that we can go to Villarreal with a chance to secure third place," Simeone said, before dismissing suggestions his players lack motivation with little to play for. "It's like when you play with your friends, you want to win; that's the stimulus this sport gives you. Even if you play at an amateur level, you play to win and have fun."