Unlike other matches, Diego Pablo Simeone has shown all his cards for the upcoming Champions League quarter-final second leg against FC Barcelona. “We’ll see what happens with Diego Costa if he’s unavailable, Adrián will play because I can’t use a player that is not fully fit.” The Argentinean manager considers that the winger is recovered from the slump he suffered early this season and he is “sure that Adrián will score tomorrow”.
The Argentinean manager will decide who plays depending on what happens on the last training session. “We need players who are completely adept for playing tomorrow. There’s a team to build and I hope Diego Costa is okay; if he is, he will play and if he’s feeling slightly sore he will make the bench. But if he’s still hurt then he won’t play”, giving a special role to David Villa as the former Blaugrana will be the lone striker tomorrow.
Simeone knows this match has historical importance for Atletico but he’s trying to lay down the pressure. He considers there is a “responsibility, not a pressure” for playing in this stage. “I can’t talk about pressure. We have the responsibility to win an important game. Barcelona also has pressure to go through the next round. The pressure exists, for instance, if you don’t have enough money to feed your family.”
“Even though we have a slight advantage, the result in the first leg doesn’t change a thing. Barcelona always play to score goals and they never set their lines back. They always try to manage the game and that could play on their side because they can have up to 120 minutes – if there’s extra-time – to score a goal while playing away from home. They recently scored four times in a stadium nearby (Real Madrid)", Diego Pablo Simeone said about whether the away goal in the first leg gives them some sort of advantage.
Simeone also highlighted the fact that the two teams play a different style. “This is a big tie for both sides but I see a passionate game with two different sides: one has the possession and the skill while we have the hard work and a counter-attacking style as our sign…” he said. "Hopefully both sides can live up to the standards because this will be one of the best games in the tournament".
Simeone highlights the physical work
Atletico Madrid has turned several heads with their Champions League run, making it all the way to the quarter finals and having strong options to go through the next round. They are also leading La Liga and lost during the Copa Del Rey semifinals against Real Madrid and according to Simeone, all of this is due to the stellar work made by the trainer Óscar ‘El Profe’ Ortega. "We have made a spectacular run in a very demanding tournament. We are making a great work with the trainers on the physical department. We always work with the players that don’t have many minutes because they can be key down the stretch so we always try to have them ready for action. We also try to balance things up, changing between three to four players each game”.
Finally, Simeone took the stage to call the fans and invite them to go to the stadium rooting for his side. “I’ve played there and it’s a different stadium, really. You can feel the crowd’s energy and that’s very important at this level. For that to happen though, we need to make things happen on the pitch first but I know the crowd will be there so I’m just hoping we can give some of that energy back.”