Atlético accumulates more than 300 minutes of drought and 50 unsuccessful auctions. This has been his last three games. Just the opposite of what Simeone's need to scare ghosts in front of a Lokomotiv that doesn't play anything anymore. The rojiblancos need to score in order not to depend on what happens in Leverkusen. "It's a great opportunity, as it is every day that you wear the shirt of Atlético and more if you play 'Champions', which cost us a lot to arrive," said Cholo .

The rojiblanco coach hopes to meet in the Metropolitan a rival "hard" and "strong", with the ability to play kickback and danger in the ball games stopped, although the Lokomotiv is eliminated from the Champions League and without options Play the Europa League. "Everyone thinks they are on vacation, I do not think so because I played ball. We know which team we will face," said Simeone, who recalled that his rival has "competed very well" in this first phase, even if he only accumulates three points , fruit of a single victory on the first day against Bayer Leverkusen. "The idea is to make a strong, dynamic game, that has speed, that generates us to continue having situations so that we find the most important thing, which is the goal," he added.

For this match, Atlético recovers Uruguayan defender José María Giménez , who has lost the last nine official matches due to injury and could return to the starting eleven, a possibility that the rojiblanco coach is still meditating. "José has not played for a long time, we have not decided whether it will be him or Mario (Beautiful) with Felipe (Monteiro), who are doing well. His characteristics we know, strength, an important player in the team and looking forward to playing, in the same way that Felipe and Hermoso will want to do it tomorrow, "explained the coach.

Atletico faces this match after chaining three unmarked between all competitions and having fallen in the two previous European commitments, against Juventus (1-0) and Bayer Lekerkusen (2-1). However, Simeone assured that they do not raise it differently, because in his view "playing with Atlético is always an important game", not only because of the need to overcome the round, and said that the key to the match will reside in How calm your team is.

"A great challenge"

"It is a game in which we need to be calm, calm is given by the personality, and here we have players with a lot of personality. It is a very good opportunity to be together and get really strong," reflected the Argentine coach.

Simeone said he believes in his team and in the "humility" that his players are showing him, especially during this streak of bad results, in which they "continue to insist", which makes the coach "positive" and "optimistic". "Why do I believe in the team? From what I see, because they work, because all the parties in which the results have not accompanied us have deserved more. The humility they are showing to be committed to the situation gives me energy to speak as I am speaking, "he reiterated.

With that same positive attitude, Simeone focuses the statistical data (only eight victories in the first 21 games of the course and 22 goals among all those matches) that reflect that this season start is the worst of the almost eight years he has led the team red and white "The numbers speak of the reality of today and we have a great challenge for everything that remains from here at the end, to be able to reverse it," said Simeone.

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  • Atlético de Madrid
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  • Diego Simeone

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