Atletico Madrid host German giants Bayern Munich in the first leg of Champions League semi finals at the Vicente Calderon.
Atletico go into this tie after a narrow 1-0 win against Malaga over the weekend and with one of the best defensive records in Europe’s top leagues this season.
They will be without Diego Godin, who will be out injured, but will welcome back a resurgent Fernando Torres, after his one match suspension that saw him miss the second leg of the quarter final tie against Barcelona.
Speaking on the tie
In his pre-match press conference (via ESPN), Diego Simeone insisted that the way in which Guardiola would use the attacking threat of Bayern Munich against his team would prove crucial to the tie. He thinks the game would be tough as Bayern boasts many attacking options and has a coach who continuously makes changes. He said “They have very many options they can use. We will try and take the game to a place which suits us more. In battles, the side with most soldiers does not win, but those who uses their soldiers better.”
Atlético Madrid have not conceded in 13 of their last 15 Champions League matches at home. Benfica’s Guedes is the last player to have scored at Atlético’s ground, 429 minutes ago, in the group stages.In the build up to this game, the general idea among fans and neutrals was that this would be about Atletico’s defence against Bayern’s attack.
But El Cholo said this wasn’t as simple as that, saying Bayern worked very well in both attacking and defending aspects of the game. He said, “We have very good statistics in defence, but to go through in the tie you need to score goals. We are looking to do that in tomorrow’s game.”
Focus
Atletico Madrid’s last meeting against Bayern Munich in this competition was a bitter one. In 1974, when they were 1-0 up in extra-time of the European Cup Final, the Bavarian’s equalised in the dying moments of the game. The Germans would go on to win the replay 4-0 and clinch the title.
The former Argentine midfielder said he was not looking to extract revenge for Atletico’s loss to Bayern in 1974, as their focus was on winning.
He maintained that his side have a great opportunity ahead. He said “From there tomorrow we will go out to play. We just focus on winning. I am excited about this big opportunity that we have. In life it is not about revenge, but about new opportunities.”
The world will be watching as two managers on the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of footballing philosophies pit their wits against each other in what is sure to be a superb battle between a seemingly immovable Atletico Madrid against the unstoppable juggernaut that is the Bayern Munich attack.
