Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has said that his side are in a fantastic position going into the final third of the season. Los Colchoneros are on the verge of the Copa del Rey final, into the Round of 16 in the Champions League against Tottenham Hotspur, and this weekend moved back into third in La Liga, albeit 13 points off leaders Barcelona.
The once piece of negative news for Atletico going into the second leg of their semi-final with the Catalans is the absence of Pablo Barrios. Diario AS confirmed on Monday that the Spain midfielder would miss the clash at Camp Nou, having not returned to training after a hamstring injury. Nicolas Gonzalez is expected to be available after his own absence.
🇦🇷🤦♂️ Diego Simeone makes a Catalan journalist look ridiculous after his question.
Journalist: “With the 4–0 result in the first leg, right after that scoreline there were many comments suggesting that if there was one team capable of failing to reach the final or losing such an… pic.twitter.com/rbrBqGvPOF
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 2, 2026
Simeone following usual routine for Barcelona
Simeone seemed in good spirits before facing Barcelona, and with a 4-0 advantage from the first leg, he has plenty of reason too. Los Colchoneros are preparing for the match in the usual fashion.
“We approach the match the way we always do against any opponent: we know their strengths, and we can play the game we need to play. There’s not much more to it.”
“Like we do for every match, we talk about the game we’re going to play and how to take it where we need to take it.”
‘We’re in a fantastic position’ – Diego Simeone
Simeone did take poorly to a question suggesting that ‘if there was one team who could lose by four in the second leg, it was Atletico’. El Cholo went on to say that he was delighted with their progress this season.
“We’re doing well in the Cup, well in the Champions League… Many scenarios are possible. We’re fantastic in the position we’re in because we’re fighting for what we want to fight for.”
“I gave everything as a player, and now I’m not on the pitch anymore. I want to tell the lads that playing these kinds of matches is wonderful. You need to play with quality, talent, faith, leadership, and above all, determination.”
Simeone on defending Lamine Yamal
In the first leg, Atletico not only put Barcelona to the sword, but managed to keep the Blaugrana relatively quiet in front of goal. Matteo Ruggeri did a solid job on Lamine Yamal, but the teenage star hit form this weekend with a hat-trick against Villarreal.
“He’s a very good player, a game-changer, especially in the final third. We can attack down that side and force him into the area where he feels most uncomfortable, which is defending.”
The second leg of the semi-final will get underway at 21:00 CEST at Camp Nou on Tuesday. The winner will face one of Real Sociedad or Athletic Club in the final, with the Txuri-Urdin 1-0 up over Los Leones.
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