Atletico Madrid welcome Manchester United to the Wanda Metropolitano tomorrow evening in a Champions League last 16 clash that’s impossible to call. Neither side are in a good moment although both are most certainly traditional heavyweights.
Atletico, despite their status as La Liga’s defending champions, are currently fifth in the league table although they’re level on points with fourth-placed Barcelona. They’re 15 points behind pace-setting neighbours Real Madrid. Their last game at home saw them lose 1-0 to bottom-placed Levante although they did bounce back to beat Osasuna 3-0 at the weekend.
United are in a similar position in the Premier League. They’re fourth in the league table, four points clear of fifth-placed West Ham United but four behind third-placed Chelsea and a whopping 17 off league leaders and city rivals Manchester City.
Diego Simeone recently celebrated ten years in charge of Atletico but some have opined that it could be time for each party to part ways, that an injection of fresh impetus could benefit them both. The Argentine himself, however, speaking in comments carried by Marca, maintained that he’s focusing on the small details.
“I cling to daily growth, to the search for team spirit, just like every other day,” Simeone said. “Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have that spirit because that’s how we compete very well. I live for the day-to-day, you’re there to value our work. We must work, we can’t stop to think about what we’re doing because what happened yesterday is worthless. Only game-by-game counts.
“I see [United] as being stronger, more compact. They’re an important rival with a strong defensive capacity and an ability in the air. It’s hard to find areas where they make mistakes. But I always prepare for matches studying the strength of our rivals and looking to find the way to hurt them.”
