𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Barcelona are seeking to overturn a 2-0 aggregate deficit in the Champions League quarter-finals against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, where the playing surface could be under the spotlight just as much as the players.

The surface at Atletico’s Metropolitano Stadium has come under scrutiny in recent weeks, with Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick even discussing the issue with a UEFA delegate during his side’s training session in the stadium on Monday, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

Barcelona sources briefed on the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that they are concerned about the quality of the pitch after that training session and regard it as being in a worse state than in their February meeting at the Metropolitano — the 4-0 first-leg defeat in the Copa del Rey semi-finals. The club are not expected to make a formal complaint to UEFA, however.

Atletico sources said that the length of grass is always kept at the appropriate level, adding that the pitch has improved since the start of the year and is not, and has never been, an issue for teams playing at the stadium.

There have been multiple high-profile incidents of players slipping on the field at the Metropolitano.

Madrid was subject to heavy rain in January and February, which affected the pitch. The weather also affected other clubs in the Spanish capital, such as Rayo Vallecano, who had a home game against Real Oviedo postponed in February and were forced to play against Atletico at Leganes’ stadium.

Atletico sources added that Barcelona also played at the Metropolitano between the Copa del Rey and Champions League games — which they won 2-1 — and that the field complies with UEFA’s Champions League regulations.

Article 34 of these regulations states: “The home club must make every reasonable effort to ensure that the pitch is in the best possible condition for play. If the climatic conditions so require, facilities such as pitch heating and a pitch cover must be provided to ensure that the field of play is in a suitable condition on any match date.”

UEFA or a third party mandated by the governing body may carry out inspections of the pitch before and during matches to determine whether it is suitable. The rules also state that watering of the pitch must conclude an hour before kick-off, though the home club can decide to allow further watering between 10 and five minutes before kick-off and for a maximum of five minutes during half-time.

In the Copa del Rey game, the opening goal came after a pass from Eric Garcia rolled under the foot of Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia and across the line.

Last month, the pitch was a factor in Atletico’s 5-2 first-leg win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League round of 16. Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, making his debut in the competition, slipped in the penalty area while attempting a pass and gave the ball away, leading to Marcos Llorente’s opener in the sixth minute.

Antoine Griezmann capitalised on a slip from Tottenham centre-back Micky van de Ven to slot past Kinsky to make it 2-0 on 14 minutes. A minute later, Kinsky made a similar mistake to Garcia, scuffing a backpass directly into the path of Julian Alvarez for 3-0.

Kinsky was at fault for two of Atletico’s goals before being substituted in the 17th minute (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

After the match, Griezmann said, via AS, that Atletico “took advantage of some of their mistakes, the pitch was very slippy, and we’re more used to it”.

However, Atletico players have been critical of the playing surface in the past. After a 1-0 home defeat by Real Betis in February, captain Koke said, via Marca: “The truth is it’s not good, we were slipping over, (the turf) comes up. For a team like Atletico, we need the pitch to be good to play. We’re expected to play to a good level and we need a high-level field to play.”

Atletico head coach Diego Simeone has previously addressed the issue but maintained that the pitch is the same for both sides.

Meanwhile, after their first leg loss, Barcelona filed a complaint with UEFA regarding an incident where Atletico defender Marc Pubill put his hand on the ball in the penalty area after goalkeeper Juan Musso appeared to restart the game with a goal kick. The incident was not reviewed by the video assistant referee and no penalty was awarded. UEFA announced on Tuesday that its control ethics and disciplinary body found the protest to be inadmissible.