Champions League
Diego Simeone Cautious Of Borussia Dortmund’s Home Advantage Ahead Champions League Clash
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is cautious of Borussia Dortmund’s formidable home advantage as his team prepare for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash on Tuesday. Despite securing a 2-1 lead in the first leg, Simeone is well aware of Dortmund’s strength at home and the potential for an upset in the upcoming match.
Atletico, aiming for their first Champions League semi-final appearance in seven years, will need to stay focused and resilient to overcome the challenge posed by the German side on their home turf.
They are a very strong team at home, they will surely start with a high tempo and we have to keep up the level we’ve been playing at in our last few games,” Simeone told reporters on Monday ahead of the game at Signal Iduna Park.
He continued, “I’m sure they will come out strong, they have a lot of skillful people on the wings, people in the middle who come in very well from the second line too. They work very well on set pieces and we will look to take the game where we think we can hurt them.”
After taking a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from Rodrigo de Paul and Samuel Lino, Atletico Madrid had to endure relentless pressure from Borussia Dortmund. Sebastien Haller managed to score one for Dortmund, and also struck the woodwork twice, keeping Atletico on their toes despite their initial advantage.
Simeone stated, “All of their players worry me. They are very good, with enormous speed, the young guy number 47 (Antonios Papadopoulos), I don’t want to say his name wrong, but he came on the other day and he was a real menace. I can’t imagine any other style of their football because they showed it last season when they even had a chance to win the German league, and then Bayern (Munich) won it, but they are a very strong team.”
He also said “We’ve grown as a consequence of the important results we’ve been able to get in La Liga. That has made us grow enormously in the world of football and tomorrow we won’t be thinking so much,” he said. “I feel good about the players, it’s going to be a good game and tomorrow will be a good Champions League night.”
