Pep Guardiola said he did not want to spend a single second discussing the idea that Atletico do not play good football.
Diego Simeone has built a ferocious team in his image in Madrid, although their style has found them few admirers outside of the club. Guardiola's sides at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now City, on the other hand, are seen as making the most of the so-called beautiful game.
A battle between the two master technicians in the quarter-final of the Champions League has been pitched as a clash of two different footballing principles. However, Guardiola was keen to downplay the contrast between the two teams as he dismissed the debate.
