Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has attempted to preserve his team’s underdog status ahead of tonight’s Spanish Super Cup first leg clash with city rivals Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
Simeone’s men thrived upon repeatedly being written off during last season’s remarkable La Liga title challenge, and the canny Argentine was happy to compare the spending power of the two Madrid clubs in an attempt to prepare for another season of low expectation.
Atletico have lost a number of key players during the summer, with striker Diego Costa, left back Felipe Luis and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois all joining Chelsea.
And although his side have responded to those departures with a series of promising signings, Simeone was keen to highlight that the profile of Atletico’s new boys pales in comparison to the arrival of World Cup stars Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez at their more prestigious cross town rivals.
“We have spent €95million (Dh466.2m) on eight players,” he pointed out. “And Real have spent €95million on two.”
Simeone continued to pile the pressure on his opponents by installing Copa del Rey winners Real as heavy favourites for the Super Cup, which will conclude with Friday night’s second leg at the Vicente Calderon.
“They will be better this season,” he added. “Kroos gives them greater potential in the middle of the field, more balance. And Gareth Bale is much better – they will be a superior team to last year.”
Continuing his depiction of his team as plucky overachievers, Simeone also insisted they are entering the new campaign with no title aspirations and little hope of once again overhauling the might of Real and Barcelona.
“We will see how far this team takes us, but our reality is looking at Valencia, Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla,” he claimed.
Two of the new arrivals at Atletico are a pair of goalkeepers who are battling for the right to replace Courtois: Miguel Angel Moya from Getafe and young Slovenian international Jan Oblak, who joins from Benfica.
Mirroring Real boss Ancelotti’s coyness over his choice between Iker Casillas and Keylor Navas, Simeone revealed that Moya will start tonight’s game but added he is undecided about the first choice.
As well as serving as a curtain raiser for the new La Liga season, tonight’s meeting is a swift rematch of May’s Champions League semi-final, which resulted in Real lifting the trophy after a dramatic injury time leveller from Sergio Ramos was followed by a flood of goals in extra time.
Atletico skipper Gabi, however, claims there is no intention of using the Super Cup to set the record straight, saying: “We don’t have any sentiment of revenge. It’s just a chance to win a trophy.”
