Flick had appeared visibly drained after Barcelona's 3-1 win over Alaves on Saturday, with Raphinha seen consoling him as the final whistle blew. The footage quickly spread, but the German played down the exchange, insisting it was simply a release of tension. Simeone said he fully understood why the moment had resonated.
"It's normal, we're people, we are human, we have emotions and feelings," Simeone said. "From the outside it's always easier to analyse things, but playing so many matches in a row and giving your all every time is not simple. From the sidelines we all want to see the best, and we expect that."
Atletico travel into the fixture in superb form, having won seven consecutive matches in all competitions. Simeone said his side must be tactically disciplined against a Barcelona team who, despite their inconsistencies, remain top of La Liga heading into December 2025.
"The type of match we expect is very clear," he said. "They have an incredible attack, a strong positional style, and important individual players. We must be strong in those areas to compete and take the game to where we believe we can hurt them."
Barcelona, who sit first in La Liga with Atletico three points behind in fourth, have been boosted by returning midfielders. Pedri played his first minutes in over a month against Alaves after recovering from a hamstring injury, while Frenkie de Jong is set to return after missing the match due to family reasons.
Flick said he hoped their availability would sharpen Barcelona's performance levels. "I'm really happy. The players are coming back, maybe we can increase our level. This is the most important thing," he said. However, he confirmed that Ronald Araujo remains out injured.
The Barcelona manager has faced criticism this season after a run of poor performances in major games, including a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea and 2-1 losses against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Despite returning to the top of the table, he admitted Barcelona are not yet where they want to be.
"I know we are not at the top level like last season," Flick said. "But we have potential, and we have to increase our level."
Tuesday's meeting at the Camp Nou offers both managers a chance to make a decisive statement in the title race.
Wojciech Szczesny has admitted he "had enough of this suffering" after years of battling the lingering effects of the double-arm fracture that changed his career, with the Barcelona goalkeeper revealing how the pain still affects him today.
Barcelona were preparing to unleash Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski from the start as Hansi Flick planned a decisive reshuffle for this afternoon's clash with Deportivo Alaves.
Barcelona defeated Alaves 3-1 at the revamped Camp Nou on Saturday whilst Atletico beat Oviedo 2-0 to maintain the pressure on Real Madrid who play on Sunday.
Real Madrid and Girona both played their part in a dramatic La Liga weekend that also saw Villarreal surge, Betis silence Sevilla and Espanyol snatch a late winner.
