Julián Álvarez faces Barcelona at the Metropolitano with the LaLiga lead at stake

A rematch with the LaLiga lead at stake

Atlético de Madrid host Barcelona at the Metropolitano on Sunday, 8 November, with kick-off at 21:00. A home win would take the LaLiga lead, since the two clubs are separated by just two points, according to ABC. Barcelona arrive with 46 goals in eleven matches, and their two leading scorers, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, have 15 and 10 goals so far. For Julián Álvarez, the Argentine striker, the fixture is his first meeting with the club he wanted to join in the summer. La Vanguardia describes the Metropolitano as a stadium that is already hot before the match, and Barcelona will be without Rodri, who is out with a hamstring injury, according to ABC.

Raphinha15

Lamine Yamal10

Raphinha

15 goals

Lamine Yamal

10 goals

Data from the article text

The summer that split striker and fans

During the World Cup, Julián Álvarez said publicly that a transfer was the best option for everyone and that he wanted to fulfil a dream. Barcelona made a first offer of 100 million euros, payable in instalments, which Atlético rejected, according to El Periódico. Real Madrid also said it had made a 150 million euro offer, which El Periódico describes as a decoy. El País reports that club sources said in August that Barcelona could have signed him for 150 million euros net if the payment had been made before 20 June. Atlético's executive director, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, dismissed the bids in strong terms, and Barcelona president Joan Laporta kept publicly pressing his interest in the player.

“Barcelona disrespects us. They think they can belittle us, that we are weak or stupid.”

The timeline below traces the key dates from that period.

Booing, apology and a partial reconciliation

La Razón reports that Julián Álvarez was booed on his return to the Metropolitano on 23 August, and that he avoided taking corners in front of the home supporters early this season. He ended a drought of 238 days without a league goal with a strike against Deportivo, and afterwards he apologised to the fans for his comments at the World Cup.

“They were a mistake on my part, in the manner and the timing.”

El Mundo says the whistles had almost disappeared by the Bayern match, when his name was read in the starting lineup with little booing. Asked about the striker's week in training, Diego Simeone replied "Muy bien, está muy bien" and kept his answer brief. El Periódico reports that the striker recently separated from his agent, Fernando Hidalgo, and that his entourage had long pointed to a verbal pact with Atlético for a summer exit, a pact the club always denied.

The club's position before kick-off

Atlético president Enrique Cerezo has repeatedly said the striker remains an Atlético player. El Mundo reports that Julián still had four years left on his contract, with a release clause of almost 500 million, when the summer bids arrived. El País notes that Gil Marín had opened the door to a sale late last season while knowing the problem that lay ahead, but that the club's deadline was never met by Barcelona.

“Julián Álvarez is and will continue to be a player of Atlético de Madrid.”

La Vanguardia frames Sunday as the first time the striker faces the club he wanted to join, with the home crowd's reaction the main unknown.