Diego Godin suggests Atletico Madrid won’t be taking Benfica lightly but still back themselves to get a home win.
The Portuguese champions visit Vicente Calderon with a number of ex-Atleti players in their ranks, including Raul Jimenez, who made the move from Madrid to Lisbon over the summer.
“We’ll see if he plays, we know what he can offer, he’s a great striker and we’ll have to concentrate against him,” Godin said, AS reports.
“We appreciate him a lot and we’ll say hello but during the game we’ll be rivals.
“We have great respect for Benfica, an historic team, but we know we’re strong at home. We’ll try to play an intense game to win. They’re a good opponent and it won’t be easy.
“We believe in being a strong, competitive team, we want to win every game, that’s been our way over the years and has led us to success.
“We want to improve in each game. The group is used to winning. And when we lose we’re self-critical to improve. It’s in defeat that you learn more.”
Godin continued by discussing two of his teammates, Koke and Angel Correa, and Jonas, Benfica’s former Valencia forward.
“Correa is a different kind of player. He has a lot to give and to develop, but he has the most important thing, talent, and he offers that,” he said.
“He’ll continue to learn a lot and become one of the greatest players in Europe.
“Koke is important for the team. He’s important defensively and in attack. He’s not available but there’s a lot of talk about the Atletico squad. It’s very competitive and someone else will take his place.
“Jonas? He is a great player and we have to consider him, because he comes deep, plays with his back to goal and scores a lot.”
