Atletico Madrid boss, Diego Simeone, has declared an all or nothing as his side gets ready to face German outfit RB Leipzig in Thursday’s Champions League quarter-final.
Simeone believes beating Leipzig is the only option available to his players.
Atletico last played in Europe after ousting title-holders Liverpool by 3-2 after extra time at Anfield on 11 March to move into the last eight.
Simeone’s men are unarguably the favourites going into the quarter-final fixture against a Leipzig side, who will be without record goalscorer Timo Werner, who has already joined Chelsea in a £53m deal.
The Argentine boss has charged his players to do the required in Thursday’s single-leg quarter-final in Lisbon.
“It’s been a long time since our last game in this competition. The win at Anfield was brilliant, but this is a new start, if you like, and that doesn’t have any bearing on tomorrow, (Thursday)” Simeone says.
“I’m only focused on preparing the game in the best way I can and taking the game in the direction we want it to go and look to hurt our opponents.
“I am not thinking beyond tomorrow. Tomorrow it’s not just important to win – it’s the only option.”
Simeone, however, agreed he would pressure and demand a lot from his players while debunking his side are clear favourites for the tie.
Related: Barcelona are through to the last eight after a convincing win over Napoli
Team News
Atletico Madrid would be without Angel Correa and Sime Vrsaljko after it confirmed they were the individuals to test positive for coronavirus at the weekend. Both players, however, are home and self-isolating and won’t be taking part.
Apart from those two, Diego Simeone has a full squad to choose from although Thomas Partey has a slight calf strain but is expected to start.
Leipzig’s goal machine, Timo Werner, won’t feature in the tie as he is now a Chelsea player after he completed his move to the London club months ago. Marcel Halstenberg is back in the squad and should start despite missing a recent friendly draw with Wolfsburg with a back injury.
Stats and facts heading into the match (Backed by Opta)
- This will be the first competitive encounter between RB Leipzig and Atlético Madrid. It’s also the first time RB Leipzig have been drawn against a Spanish club in European competition.
- Atlético Madrid have reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the fifth time in the last seven seasons, a feat only Barcelona and Bayern Munich have bettered over the same period. Meanwhile, this is the first experience for RB Leizpig in the knockout phase of the competition.
- Atlético Madrid have always progressed against German opposition in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League (vs Leverkusen in 2014/15 and 2016/17; vs Bayern Munich in 2015/16). In the European Cup era (pre-1992/93), the only time they didn’t prevail was in the 1974 final against Bayern Munich (1-1; 0-4 replay).
- None of RB Leipzig’s 14 games in the UEFA Champions League has ended in a goalless draw. They’ve kept a clean sheet in three of their last five games, after failing to keep a single one in any of their previous nine.
- Four of RB Leizpig’s last eight goals in the UEFA Champions League have come from the penalty spot. In fact, only Atalanta (5) have benefitted from more penalties than Leipzig (4) in this season’s competition.
Prediction
Atletico 1-1 RB Leipzig
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