Recent statistics show a stark contrast in red-card tallies for leading La Liga clubs when comparing domestic and European fixtures.
According to Spanish newspaper AS, Barcelona enjoys a +31 goal difference in La Liga over the past 10 seasons, with 63 sendings-off in their favour and 32 against.
Real Madrid, by contrast, shows a negative [-1] differential over the same span: 40 for, 41 against.
Atlético Madrid fare worse still, with a [-15] rating (30 for, 45 against).
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In the Champions League, however, Barcelona’s record reverses to a [-7] deficit (5 for, 12 against).
In contrast, Real Madrid dominate the European landscape with a [+10] differential (16 for, 6 against).
Atlético Madrid also enjoy a [+3] differential (13 for, 10 against), per Madrid’s AS newspaper, underscoring the curious gap between domestic and continental officiating trends.
In Barça’s most recent outing, defender Pau Cubarsi was dismissed during Wednesday’s 2-0 home loss to Atlético in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.