Atlético seek more capital gains against Barça

Club Atlético de Madrid go in search of a fifth straight UEFA Champions League home victory when they host Spanish Liga rivals FC Barcelona in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final with the tie poised at 1-1.

• Atlético's European home form is a real source of hope for the Rojiblancos, although Barcelona are unlikely to be intimidated at a ground where they have not lost in four years. The Blaugrana approach Wednesday's game seeking a seventh successive semi-final and hoping their greater experience will tell against an Atlético side who were last at this stage in 1997.

• The tie also pits together two Argentinian coaches in Barcelona's Gerardo Martino and Atlético's Diego Simeone.

Previous meetings
• Atlético have hosted Barcelona 106 times before in all competitions with a record of 50 home wins, 33 Barcelona victories and 23 draws.

• It finished goalless when the teams faced each other at the Vicente Calderón in the Liga on 11 January. The lineups were:
Atlético: Courtois, Juanfran, Godín, Miranda, Filipe Luís, Tiago (Rodríguez 82), Gabi, Arda Turan, Koke, Villa (García 77), Costa.
Barcelona: Valdés, Alves, Mascherano, Piqué, Alba, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta (Messi 46), Pedro (Sergi Roberto 82), Sánchez (Neymar 67), Fàbregas.

• The last two-legged encounter between the sides came in this season's Spanish Super Cup last August, when Liga champions Barcelona beat Copa del Rey winners Atlético on away goals after following up a 1-1 draw in Madrid – where Neymar cancelled out David Villa's strike with his first goal in Spain – with a 0-0 Camp Nou stalemate.

• Atlético have not beaten Barcelona at home since February 2010 when Diego Forlán and Simão secured a 2-1 success. Barcelona are undefeated in five visits since and last won at the Vicente Calderón in a Liga fixture last May, when Alexis Sánchez and a late Gabi own goal clinched a 2-1 victory after Radamel Falcao had netted for Atleti.

• Barcelona won the clubs' most recent Copa del Rey encounter 5-2 on aggregate in the 2008/09 round of 16.

• Simeone was in the Atletico team that beat a Barcelona side featuring Carles Busquets – father of current Barça midfielder Sergio – 1-0 after extra time in the 1996 Copa del Rey final. That is one of just two cup finals contested by the clubs; the first back in 1926 finished 3-2 to Barcelona.

Match background
• Atlético are bidding for a first European Cup semi-final since 1974 and – as shown by their 4-1 second-leg thrashing of AC Milan in the last round – fear nobody at their Vicente Calderón stadium. They have won 16 of their last 17 home games in UEFA competition, including four in a row this term. The only blip was a 2-0 loss to FC Rubin Kazan in the UEFA Europa League round of 32 in February 2013.

• Atlético were last at this stage in 1996/97 when a team containing Simeone went down 4-3 on aggregate to AFC Ajax. Atlético's overall quarter-final record is three wins and two defeats from five appearances.

• That Ajax reverse is the only time in seven UEFA competition ties that Atlético drew 1-1 away in the first leg but went out on aggregate; they won the other six. Overall, after an away first-leg draw of any description their record is W9 L2.

• Four-time winners Barcelona are competing in their seventh consecutive UEFA Champions League quarter-final. Overall, this is their 16th European Cup quarter-final and they have a record of 13 wins and two defeats. They had no quarter-final phase to negotiate when reaching the final in 1991/92 and 1993/94.

• Barcelona won 2-0 at Manchester City FC in the round of 16 and have lost just one of four away matches in this season's competition.

• The Azulgrana have been held to a home first-leg draw in UEFA competition on ten occasions, winning five of those ties overall. Most recently, they drew 0-0 with Chelsea FC in the 2008/09 semi-finals, advancing on away goals following a 1-1 draw in the return leg.

• When drawing 1-1 at home first, Barça's aggregate record is W3 L2. They lost the last time that happened, against Paris Saint-Germain in the 1994/95 quarter-finals (1-2 away).

• The Catalan club last faced a fellow Liga outfit in Europe when overcoming Real Madrid CF in the 2010/11 semi-finals. Josep Guardiola's side prevailed 2-0 in Madrid – Messi scoring twice – before a 1-1 draw back in Barcelona.

• Barcelona have recorded four wins and five losses from nine two-legged ties against Spanish rivals in UEFA competition. They also lost the 2006 UEFA Super Cup 3-0 to Sevilla FC in Monaco.

• On the two previous occasions Barcelona beat a compatriot club in the European Cup, they got to the final – in 2011 after ousting Madrid, and after bettering the same opponents 4-3 on aggregate in the 1960/61 first round.

• Atlético have a strong record in UEFA competition ties against fellow Spaniards. Two seasons ago they saw off Athletic Club 3-0 in the UEFA Europa League final, having accounted for Valencia CF 5-2 on aggregate in the semis. They also beat Valencia en route to winning the same competition in 2010, progressing on away goals in the quarter-finals with a 2-2 away draw before a Vicente Calderón stalemate.

• Excluding the UEFA Intertoto Cup, Atlético's sole defeat in four past two-legged European ties against compatriot clubs came against Madrid in the 1958/59 European Cup semi-finals. After the teams traded home victories, the Merengues won a replay in Zaragoza 2-1.

• Atlético's shoot-out record in UEFA competitions is:
1-3 v Villarreal CF, 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup final round
1-3 v ACF Fiorentina, 1989/90 UEFA Cup first round
6-7 v Derby County FC, 1974/75 UEFA Cup second round

• Barcelona's shoot-out record is:
5-4 v KKS Lech Poznań, 1988/89 European Cup Winners' Cup second round
0-2 v FC Steaua Bucureşti, 1985/86 European Cup final
5-4 v IFK Göteborg, 1985/86 European Cup semi-final
4-1 v RSC Anderlecht, 1978/79 European Cup Winners' Cup second round
3-1 v Ipswich Town FC, 1977/78 UEFA Cup third round
5-4 v AZ Alkmaar, 1977/78 UEFA Cup second round

Team ties
• Opposing coaches today, Martino and Simeone were on-field rivals back in Argentina. In a January 1988 league fixture between Martino's CA Newell's Old Boys and Simeone's CA Vélez Sarsfield – which Vélez edged 2-1 – Martino was sent off for a challenge on Simeone, who was himself dismissed soon afterwards.

• In 1989/90 Simeone hit the only goal in Vélez's 1-0 success over Newell's, while Martino scored in the sides' 2-2 draw in the return game. In June 2005 Simeone found the net for Racing Club de Avellaneda in a 2-2 draw with a CA Colón outfit then coached by Martino.

• Simeone may have got the better of Barcelona in the 1996 Copa del Rey final as a player, but as a coach he has failed to beat the Blaugrana in six attempts, drawing three and losing three.

• As a player, Simeone's record in Liga matches against Barcelona with Sevilla and Atlético was P7 W1 D3 L3. His only goal against Barça came on his first visit to the Camp Nou with Sevilla in May 1994, when he notched the opener 12 minutes into a fixture his team led 2-1 at half-time before succumbing 5-2. Simeone was red-carded in Atlético's 5-2 home reverse to Barcelona in 1997.

• David Villa won the 2011 UEFA Champions League, as well as two Liga titles, while at Barcelona between 2010 and 2013. In that time he claimed 33 goals in 77 Liga outings, and another eight in the UEFA Champions League – including one in that Wembley final triumph against Manchester United FC.

• On his way to lifting the 2003/04 Copa del Rey with Real Zaragoza, Villa converted the penalty winner in a 1-0 quarter-final success at Barcelona. His overall record against the Blaugrana for Zaragoza, Valencia and Atlético reads P17 W5 D8 L4, with eight goals registered.

• Messi has struck 20 goals in 19 games against Atlético, including three hat-tricks.

• On 5 March this year, Diego Costa made his debut for Spain against Italy in a team including Jordi Alba, Busquets, Cesc Fàbregas, Andrés Iniesta and Pedro Rodríguez.

• Adrián López scored his first top-flight goal seven minutes into his first appearance at the Camp Nou as a substitute in RC Deportivo La Coruña's 2-1 Liga defeat in March 2007.

• Raúl García got the decisive third goal in CA Osasuna's 3-2 home victory over Barcelona in February 2012.

• Koke was part of Spain's winning side at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship along with Marc Bartra, Martín Montoya and Cristian Tello.

• Bartra made his senior Barcelona debut in the 2-1 reverse at Atlético in February 2010.