Koke is in no doubt about which side of the fence he sits when it comes to Diego Costa, nor of the dangers Rayo Vallecano represent this weekend.
Costa has split opinions in Spain this season for his performances balancing goals for Atletico Madrid with notable conflict with opponents for his aggressive approach.
Last weekend saw him clash with more than one Real Betis player, as well as be on the receiving end of a close-range spit from Antonio Amaya.
“He’s a great player, he has a lot of character and he is a player of strength on the field,” reflected Koke of his teammate today.
“He works hard, does his job and you should not focus on what happens off the ball so much.”
Atleti travel across town this weekend to Rayo Vallecano.
“It will be a tough game because Rayo are playing very well in recent games, especially at their own ground.
“We must go there to play well and to try and win. It is going to be difficult because it is a derby.”
