Diego Simeone insists Atletico Madrid are not daunted by their Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg with Barcelona on Wednesday.
Los Colchoneros face the inenviable task of turning around their tie with the Catalans if they plan to reach the last four, but El Cholo says his players are keen to prove their worth against established heavyweights.
“The truth is that fans know what it's like at the Calderon. I don't feel the need to elaborate on that,” he said at a Press conference.
“We must try to avoid the situations which Barca hurt us with in recent matches.
“We envision a game like the ones we play at home, playing as it suits us.
“From there, we'll see what we get. We'll seek the game we want to find. Hopefully, we can do it.
“Barcelona historically have a football philosophy, which hasn't changed.
“They've put [Lionel] Messi out on the right to give [Luis] Suarez more of a reference in the centre.
“It's the only change they might make. If they play well then Messi has to stay on the right.
“It's different [to last season] because of our players, and some of them are different.
“That was the Champions League, this is the Copa del Rey. The atmosphere will be very nice.
“I've found [playing Real] Madrid and Barcelona equally great because they make you better as a team.
“We always say that playing them puts you closer to them. We welcome it. Playing the best makes you better.”
