Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has been speaking with the press ahead of Los Rojiblancos’ Copa del Rey clash with Segunda B side Cornella tomorrow evening.
Cornella beat Marino in the first round to secure their glamour tie against Atletico, hosting them at Camp Municipal de Cornella.
The club are based in Barcelona and currently sit seventh in Group A of Group 3 in the Segunda B.
Atletico, however, currently lead La Liga, two points clear of city rivals Real Madrid with two games in hand.
Los Rojiblancos were, however, dumped out of the Copa del Rey by another Segunda B side, Cultural Leonesa, last season, so will be wary of the threat carried by Cornella and keen to prevent another giant killing.
Simeone made it clear in his pre-match comments that he knew his side were going to face highly-motivated opposition who’d be unable to match Los Rojiblancos in terms of talent but may give them a run for their money in terms of commitment and intensity.
“They haven’t competed for three weeks, so they’ll be excited to play,” Simeone said in comments carried by Marca. “I’ve read about how they’re preparing for the game, the ambition they’re showing to win it.
“They play with an orderly 4-4-2 system normally and perform competitively in every game, I can’t imagine any situation other than this [tomorrow]. We’ve prepared for the game.”
The Argentine also spoke of his love for the Copa del Rey, a competition he’s won as an Atletico player, in 1996, and as a coach, in 2013.
“The Copa del Rey, as I have always said, is difficult,” he continued. “We always seek to give our best as much as we can while retaining our balance.
“Last season we lost to a team from the Segunda even though we were giving our best, and hopefully this season will give us the opportunity to go as far as possible. It’s a beautiful competition, and if the fans could return in time for the final it would be wonderful.”
