Close to foiling the schemes of the cerebral Guardiola before giving in in the quarter-final first leg, Simeone is now banking on the fervor of the Metropolitano stadium, where Atlético have never lost a Champions League knockout match, to try to dismiss the 2021 finalist. Objective: bring Atlético back to the C1 semi-finals for the first time in five years.

And too bad if Atlético were criticized for their tactical reluctance at the end of the first round: this is how the Madrid club reached two Champions League finals (2014, 2016) and won two Europa Leagues ( 2012, 2018) under the orders of Simeone.

"Maybe it's not pretty to see, but it's effective," Frenchman Thomas Lemar, Atlético midfielder, summed up on Monday in an interview with AFP.

Part (at least 5,000 seats) of the Madrid stadium will be closed on Wednesday on the orders of UEFA, which sanctioned the club on Monday because of the "discriminatory behavior" of certain Spanish supporters.

A video released by the Spanish sports newspaper Marca shows Spanish fans giving a Nazi salute during the first leg at the Etihad Stadium.

Interior view of the Wanda Metropolitano stadium before the Champions League match between Atlético Madrid and Juventus Turin, September 18, 2019 OSCAR DEL POZO AFP/Archives

"Surpass Us"

The enclosure (68,000 seats in normal times) should however be boiling hot on Wednesday evening in Madrid, where City and "Atleti" are preparing for a bitter and fiery match.

Between the two legs, the "Citizens", finalists of the last edition, were hooked 2-2 by Liverpool in a duel at the top of the English championship, Sunday, while the "Colchoneros" were surprised 1-0 at one of the promoted from La Liga, in Mallorca, on Saturday.

Champions League quarter-final return Atlético Madrid vs Manchester City on Wednesday April 13 in Madrid Vincent LEFAI AFP / Archives

Everyone may have had their reunion in mind, where Atlético should remain faithful to their defensive hermeticism in the first leg and watch for counterattacks in the wake of Antoine Griezmann.

"They played with two lines of five!", commented Guardiola after the narrow success of the first leg.

"In prehistoric times, today or 100,000 years from now, attacking against two lines of five will always be very difficult."

Manchester City's Spanish coach Pep Guardiola during the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Atlético Madrid on April 5, 2022 at the Etihad Stadium Paul ELLIS AFP/Archives

Renowned for his boundless motivation and for his ability to unite his group around him, Diego Simeone will once again have to touch his players in their pride to transmit to them his thirst for victory.

"He does not need to give us advice (on the mental aspect, editor's note). His speech, his way of speaking, his frankness, that allows us to surpass ourselves", summarized Thomas Lemar on Monday.

In the retro, 2016

And the French environment to recall the aggressiveness of the former Argentinian international environment.

Atlético Madrid's Argentinian coach Diego Simeone gives instructions to French midfielder Thomas Lemar during the Champions League group match against Liverpool on October 19, 2021 at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium JAVIER SORIANO AFP / Archives

"Did you know the player? Well, it gives the image of Atlético now. They are a fighting team, which is there on every ball, which does not want to lose, in match or in training. . That's what he wants to convey to us, not to rest on our laurels," Lemar said.

A specialist in incredible comebacks, Atlético has often been able to find the resources in badly started matches this season in La Liga: against Valencia in January (3-2), against Getafe in February (4-3)...

The joy of Atlético Madrid defender Mario Hermoso, after scoring the winning goal, 4-3 against Getafe, during the 24th day of LaLiga, February 12, 2022 at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium OSCAR DEL POZO AFP / Archives

And if they needed a reference, the "Rojiblancos" can look in the rear view mirror: in 2016, during the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Barça from the "MSN" of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, heir de Guardiola and reigning European champion, the "Colchoneros" lost 2-1 in the first leg ... before winning 2-0 in the return to reach the semi-finals (they will end up s losing in the final 1-1, 5-3 on pens against Real Madrid).

The joy of Atlético Madrid's French striker Antoine Griezmann, after opening the scoring against Barcelona, ​​in the Champions League quarter-final second leg, on April 13, 2016 at the Vicente Calderon Stadium GERARD JULIEN AFP / Archives

Same phase of the same competition, same away setback in the first leg, same feeling of impossible... and same result, Wednesday?

© 2022 AFP