Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone is not thinking about Real Madrid’s injury problems heading into Wednesday’s decisive Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It was learned earlier today that striker Karim Benzema will be the third key member of the club to miss the crucial Champions League encounter tomorrow. The France international was not able to overcome a knee problem and has been ruled out of the return leg.
Benzema joins midfielder Luka Modric and forward Gareth Bale on the sidelines. Modric will be out of action for six weeks due to knee ligament damage and Bale set to miss two to three weeks with an injured left calf.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Simeone stressed that he is not concerned with his opponent’s injury list. The manager is solely focused on how his team can hurt Real Madrid and ensure safe passage into the semi-finals of the competition.
Atletico Madrid are unbeaten in seven meetings this season against their city rivals – which includes a 4-0 thumping in La Liga back in February. The last time they suffered defeat at the hands of Real Madrid was during the 2014 Champions League final in Lisbon.
Although Simeone and his players will not admit it publicly, the thought of eliminating their Madrid rivals from this season’s competition in their home stadium would be a massive lift for the club after coming so close to Champions League glory last year.
The Argentine boss is looking forward to tomorrow’s spectacle and the challenge of beating the defending European Cup winners at the Bernabeu.
“This is not a challenge [for me],” Simeone said during his pre-match press conference today. “We have to enjoy these occasions because we may never experience them again.
“There will be different players but desire is something else. As far as we go, we won’t change a lot. We have an idea, imagining the way our opponents will play and we want to hurt them.
“We are focused on our preparation, we are only thinking about ourselves.”
Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke echoed the words of his manager, saying he and his teammates are ready to win at the Bernabeu.
“Winning is the most important thing – we have to score,” Koke added.
“It will be eleven against eleven, we don’t care about the Real Madrid lineup. We have done well against Madrid in the last seven matches – we hope to win tomorrow too.
“We try to prepare every game in the best possible way. We are ready.”
Programming note: Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid will be shown LIVE on Wednesday at 2:45pm EST on FOX Sports 1 and FoxSoccer2Go.
