Diego Simeone has backed Spain star Koke to play a crucial role in propelling his team into the Champions League quarter-finals in tonight’s second leg clash with Bayer Leverkusen.
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The German team head into the encounter with a 1-0 lead from the first leg, a scoreline which failed to reflect their overall dominance following an impressive display at the BayArena.
But Simeone insisted he remains confident in his team’s ability to progress, and believes that Koke – who missed the first leg through injury – could prove the catalyst for a famous victory.
“We will have to pressurise the opponents and then go forward very quickly when they lose the ball,” said the Argentine boss. “And Koke allows us to play a much more dynamic game thanks to his mental speed.”
Chances Created Per Game in the Champions League Messi 3.6 Nani 3.4 Koke 3 Fuchs 2.8 Calhanoglu 2.7 Fabregas 2.7 Schweinsteiger 2.7
— EPL Stat Man (@EPLStatman) March 11, 2015
Simeone also accepted that his team need to significantly improve upon their first leg showing, suggesting that they were somewhat surprised by Bayer’s pace and intensity.
“Bayer are a very vertical team,” he said. “They have little possession of the ball but they are very direct – that is their best virtue as a team.
“Their three up front are very fast, and they are able to use that pace in the final third by winning second balls. We know that we need to be able to counter these parts of the game, which we could not do in the first half in Germany.”
He also called upon Atletico fans – famed for their ability to create an electric atmosphere inside the Vicente Calderon stadium – to get right behind his team.
“I expect the Calderon to push us on,” he said. “I hope and expect that there won’t be even one moment of silence.”
Simeone will be without defender Diego Godin and midfielder Tiago through suspension, and his main selection decision is whether to include Mario Mandzukic or Fernando Torres alongside Antoine Griezmann in attack.
Bayer’s general manager Michael Schade, meanwhile, has warned his players to prepare for a physical battle against Atletico’s famously aggressive team.
“They’re going to scratch, bite, kick and provoke…everything that we know,” Schade said.
However, Schade – who works closely alongside Bayer coach Roger Schmidt – also conceded that the hosts possess plenty of quality within their ranks, adding: “We also know that they can play football. “Otherwise, they would not be the champions of Spain and finalists in last season’s Champions League. It will be very difficult for us.”
