Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has hinted at how his side will approach the second leg of their Champions League quarter final clash against Manchester City on Wednesday.
City won the first leg 1-0 last week thanks to Kevin De Bruyne's second-half strike, so they have the slight edge heading into Wednesday night’s finale at the Wanda Metropolitano. Pep Guardiola’s side then had another draining match at the weekend, with his side playing out a pulsating 2-2 draw against Premier League title rivals Liverpool.
City playmaker De Bruyne gave the hosts an early lead thanks to a deflected effort that cannoned in off the post but their lead lasted less than 10 minutes after Diogo Jota's strike squirmed under Ederson to swiftly give the Reds – who had started slower – parity. Gabriel Jesus – back in Pep Guardiola’s side’s starting XI in the Premier League for the first time since New Year’s Day - restored City's side lead in the 37th minute.
However less than 60 seconds of the second half had been played when Sadio Mane scored Liverpool's second equaliser of the game having latched onto Mohamed Salah's perfectly-weighted through ball. Despite both sides pushing for a winner, the game ended in a draw.
Ahead of the second leg in Madrid, the tie hangs in the balance although City will naturally be favourites to their recent record at home and in Europe. Ahead of the return leg, Simeone said he was taught to “always respect” those in the game even if he did not agree with them – when questioned about what he made of those who criticised his side’s ultra-defensive style of play in the first leg.
Simeone was then pressed on how he would set up against City at home: "It is clear that we are not going to stray too far from what we believe. Hopefully we can have better transitions, that our top players have a fantastic night. I don't think they (City) will change much. They have a well-known style of play, with great players, with a great coach, a highly praised style. We will see what we see whenever we turn on television to see City."
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Despite Simeone suggesting they will stay true to their usual principles, Guardiola has predicted that his side would encounter a “different” match. He stated his belief that Atletico will be more “aggressive” in their style of play.
“In the first leg they defended the entire match, and that will not happen again,” said the City boss. “Playing against Atletico at home is very difficult. The Wanda (Atleti’s stadium) puts pressure on you and makes you have a hard time at times.”
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss, who has faced Simeone so many times before, then had a message for criticism of Simeone: "They criticized him in the first leg because Atletico lost. If he had won, everything would have been praise, but since he lost, he is frowned upon. Atletico has been doing that for a whole decade and it hasn't gone bad at all, has it?"
