Diego Simeone denies ‘anything bad’ happened with Raul Jimenez to cause the striker to leave Atletico Madrid for Benfica.
Jimenez spent only a year on the books at Vincente Calderon and could line up against his former club in what amounts to a play-off between the sides to top Champions League Group C.
“Nothing bad happened with Raul, quite the opposite. I like him as a person and a player,” Simeone said at a Press conference, Marca reports.
“He had to compete with [Fernando] Torres, [Mario] Mandzukic, [Antoine] Griezmann and [Raul] Garcia.
“I’m not surprised he’s scoring goals. I’m happy for him, because he’s a player who left with good memories.”
The game also sends Atletico back to the Estadio da Luz for the first time since they were beaten by Real Madrid in the 2014 Champions League final, and Cholo was asked about his feelings on the return.
“Important things have happened at this stadium. On one hand it’s nice for having played a final, on the other not so nice for losing,” he admitted.
“It’s a natural part of life, to take a walk in the same place.”