Xabi Alonso plays “El Clasico” to exact revenge on Barcelona, the bogey team.

The first ‘Clasico’ of the new Real Madrid manager’s coaching career, Sunday’s match against Barcelona, is filled with a familiar sense of anticipation. The Tolosa player had an incredible start to the season, but this matchup—which he is all too familiar with from his playing days—will be his toughest test to date.

Alonso’s final “Clasico” in a Real Madrid uniform was the 2013–14 Copa del Rey final, which Gareth Bale won thanks to his historic run at Mestalla. That was more than eleven years ago. He will return to the rivalry from the dugout on Sunday, but he will play Barcelona again later with Bayern Munich. Barcelona was Alonso’s most frequent opponent during his playing career. He faced the Catalans 30 times during stints with Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. Naturally, the majority of those were ‘Clasicos’ in white, totaling twenty. However, he also met Barça twice with Liverpool, twice with Bayern Munich, and six times with Real Sociedad. But the record was everything but flattering. In the 30 games, Alonso’s teams only mustered eight victories, seven draws, and fifteen losses. The figures were harsh: in 20 encounters with the Catalans, Alonso won five, drew six, and lost nine. Many of those “Clasicos” occurred during Pep Guardiola’s successful tenure at Barcelona.

In Europe, he also faced Barça twice. Due to the away goals rule, Alonso helped Liverpool advance in the 2006–07 Champions League round of 16 with a 2-0 victory at Camp Nou and a 1-0 loss at Anfield. His last meetings were with Bayern Munich in the 2014–15 semifinals, where Barcelona advanced to (and won) the final despite Bayern’s 3–2 triumph in the return after winning 3-0 in the first leg.

The intensity of those clashes is demonstrated by one startling statistic: Alonso has received the most yellow cards in his career (17 overall) versus Barcelona. The ‘Clasico’ tests a player’s limits and demands greater intensity than most other matches.

But the record was everything but flattering. In the 30 games, Alonso’s teams only mustered eight victories, seven draws, and fifteen losses. The figures were harsh: in 20 encounters with the Catalans, Alonso won five, drew six, and lost nine. Many of those “Clasicos” occurred during Pep Guardiola’s successful tenure at Barcelona. As a manager now, Alonso comes into the game with a much better record. He has 142 victories, 57 draws, and 56 losses in his 255 games in the dugout. His statistics are even more remarkable now that he has joined the elite level with Bayer Leverkusen: 157 games, 102 victories, 34 ties, and just 21 defeats.

If Xabi Alonso’s playing career versus Barcelona was characterized by frustration, Sunday presents the ideal opportunity to change the story, this time from the sidelines.