Cristiano Ronaldo has been the nemesis for Atletico Madrid in the Champions League over the past decade and the Spanish side have a plan to combat his threat for Manchester United.
Every single Champions League knockout tie that Atletico lost between 2014 and 2019 was against a team involving the Portuguese superstar, including the finals in 2014 and 2016.
Ronaldo’s record against Los Rojiblancos throughout his career is stunning – he has faced Simeone’s side on 35 occasions, while he has netted 25 goals against them, including four hat-tricks of which two came in the Champions League.
The Portuguese star has proven to be the nemesis for Atletico for the best part of a decade, but this will be the first time he has faced them while representing United.
The 37-year-old has scored 140 goals in total across his career in the competition – 15 more than nearest rival Lionel Messi.
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Atletico forward Angel Correa has now spoken about how wary his side of the threat of Ronaldo and the need to combat United as a team.
Correa told an interview with Marca: "We know what Cristiano is like, he has already done a lot of damage against us in the games in which we have faced him.
"But of course, you cannot just look at Cristiano, you have to look at their whole team.
"They are a great team, but we have to think about our plan of how we can beat them."
Another potential difference-maker in the tie is Atletico forward Joao Felix, who has struggled since his club record move to the Spanish capital from Benfica in 2019.
His Portugal international teammate Bruno Fernandes will face him in the Round of 16 clash and the United playmaker insists Felix has the qualities to prove his doubters wrong.
"I don't know what the problem is, I know that Joao has a lot of quality and great potential, he's very young," Fernandes explained.
"Sometimes we forget his age and don't understand that he's in a growth phase.
"When Atletico bought him he had barely been playing for six months at Benfica, it shows the quality of the player, because not many clubs can afford that, plus there were several clubs interested.
"His quality has to be there for the team, we all know what Simeone is asking for, but he can also defend - I think he needs freedom, but I can't comment much on that.
"From what I saw at Benfica, he's a player who can reach a level that few others can. He has all the possible qualities to reach it.
"He will do that at Atletico or elsewhere.
"I don't speak about football with him, I don't think that among us players we should talk about football, he's a very good guy and has a lot of quality.
"At Atletico or elsewhere, he will triumph because of the good head he has."
Atletico Madrid have endured a difficult season; the defending Spanish champions are fifth in La Liga – 15 points off city rivals Real Madrid – with the Champions League their final chance of a trophy this campaign.
Fernandes defended Atleti boss Diego Simeone: "I think that every year Atletico is criticised, I don't see a year that they are not criticised for the way they play, but since Simeone arrived he began to win many things.
"It doesn't matter what people say about how he plays football, the important thing is that he always fights to win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
"I don't know what playing well is, for me, it's fighting to win titles. Last year he won La Liga, we know that when you go first everything is beautiful, but when you go further back, there are always problems.
"What Simeone is doing is making Atletico more respected in Europe."
The first leg is in the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid on Wednesday before the return leg at Old Trafford on 15 March.
