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Barcelona’s recent
trips to play Atletico Madrid in La Liga have been end-to-end thrillers
that have usually ended up with a victory for the home team.

The Calderon has
witnessed 25 goals in the last five league clashes between the teams,
with Atletico stringing together 2-1, 4-3 and 4-2 victories in the last
three years.

The champions
suffered their only defeat of last season there and midfielder Andres
Iniesta has warned his team mates to heed the lessons from those
matches when they return on Sunday (1700 GMT).

“Sometimes these
games are mad, and I can remember in some of them they have scored
twice against us in five minutes,” the scorer of Spain’s winner in the
World Cup final told daily Sport.

“We have to try and
play our own game and above all else to be very focused. We can’t
afford to give them any chances because they have dangerous players,
especially up front.”

Atletico strikers
Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan have been in devastating form over the
last month, helping their side build on last season’s Europa League
triumph by winning the European Super Cup and their opening two league
games.

They travel to play
Greek side Aris in the Europa League on Thursday and hope Aguero
recovers from a bruised leg in time for Sunday.

Shock defeat

Barca recovered
from their shock 2-0 home defeat to promoted Hercules last weekend with
a midweek pummelling of Panathinaikos in the Champions League, when
Lionel Messi led them to a 5-1 victory.

Pep Guardiola
perhaps paid for resting a number of first-team regulars against
Hercules but will no doubt field his strongest side against Atletico,
as he did on Tuesday.

Real Madrid travel
north to play promoted Real Sociedad on Saturday (2000), battling to
win over their demanding fans after some uninspired opening
performances.

New coach Jose
Mourinho is still fishing for his best side but will have been lifted
by the energetic display they put on to defeat Ajax Amsterdam 2-0 in
their Champions League opener on Wednesday.

New boys Mesut Ozil
and Angel Di Maria impressed against Ajax and it was only profligate
finishing from the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo that
denied them a more flattering scoreline.

Defender Sergio Ramos dropped out of the squad on Wednesday with a suspected calf injury and is doubtful.

Second division champions Sociedad have the same record as Real from their first two games — a win and a draw.