Atletico de Madrid fans display thousands of Spanish flags and sing the traditional "Viva España" to welcome Barcelona

The members of the Frente Atletico, the ultras of the Madrid club with extreme right ideology, displayed the flags when the Barcelona players stepped onto the Wanda Metropolitano pitch to warm up.

The Catalan players came out to warm up wearing a yellow shirt with four vertical red stripes, imitating the Catalan flag.

The name of Gerard Piqué, who expressed support for the right of Catalans to vote in a referendum on Catalonia's independence, was heavily booed when the lineups were announced over the loudspeaker.

"The boos (towards Piqué) are normal, but aside from that, it was a great football night for everyone," said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde after the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

"The atmosphere was sensational. Did they pressure us? Of course, it's normal," he added.

This visit to Atletico's new stadium is Barcelona's first since the Catalonia self-determination referendum on October 1st, a consultation that was banned by the courts and marked by police violence, which led to a declaration of independence, immediately suspended, by Catalan President Carles Puigdemont.

"It's a football match. We like to play, enjoy, and tonight there was a spectacular atmosphere," said Andrés Iniesta.

"We don't consider other things about this (Catalonia) topic. We played a great match against a great rival and that's what matters, the spectacle of football," added the Barcelona captain.

Despite being one of the most internationalized clubs, Barcelona has always been closely linked to Catalan nationalism, especially during the Franco dictatorship (1939-1975).

On the contrary, Atletico, popular among Spanish military personnel, was born after merging with the Air Force team in the 1940s, to the point that it was called Atletico Aviacion for a time.

Despite the tense climate in Spain in recent weeks due to the Catalan conflict, the presidents of both teams wanted to present a normal image on Saturday, appearing together before the press to reject any political manifestation during the match.