Diego Simeone has backed his Atletico Madrid players to secure third place when they travel to relegation-threatened Granada in La Liga on Saturday.
Los Colchoneros need three points against the Andalucians to ensure they head into next season’s Champions League group stage without the need for playoffs, but the Coach is aware of the “responsibility and pressure” facing his side on the final matchday.
“The season is always very long, and when the final match comes, the responsibility and pressure causes it to be far from simple,” he said at a Press conference.
“We’re relying on ourselves and we must have a good game. This time around, the responsibility is securing third place, [not] the League.
“All teams will feel anxiety and nerves [on the last matchday] and that’ll make for a complete afternoon of football.
“After becoming champions last season, following it up is extremely difficult, especially when there are many [squad] changes.
“Expectations have grown tremendously and the team have made a huge effort to compete. We’re just steps away from our main objective [of third place] and hopefully we get it right.
“[Mario] Mandzukic and Arda [Turan] will not play. Mandzukic still has pain in his knee and Arda tried but is unable to play such an important game.
“We have great affection for all our former players [referring to Radamel Falcao] and wish them well, but talking about next season, just hours [before our final game], doesn’t seem right. We can talk about [players] next week.
“[Coaches] live by their results. We live in a results-driven world, where we must all achieve our objectives. Demands are normal.
“Granada have changed. The [new] Coach has brought in excitement and enthusiasm and football should be both of those things.
“The atmosphere is always important when playing at home, but at the same time it can be dangerous.
“The fans are excited and fired up, but with a negative result it becomes difficult.
“It’ll depend on what happens [in the match], especially for [the fans]. We’re playing as the away team and not much should change for us.”
