The coach of Atlético de Madrid, Diego Pablo Simeone, commented this Wednesday that football is “very changeable” and that “sometimes” the “unexpected” ends up happening. The Argentine coach does not rule out the comeback of the colchoneros in “an intense match” in San Mamés, despite the fact that the Athletic has “an important advantage”, since won the first leg of this Copa del Rey semi-final on visiting soil 1-0.
”Football is very changeable, and the beautiful thing about it is that sometimes the unexpected ends up happening.. Tomorrow they have all the people in their favor, an important advantage, because they are winning 1-0, a fan that supports their team very well and footballers who play very well, many of them young. Obviously I can’t imagine any other situation than an intense match,” said Cholo in the press conference prior to the match scheduled for this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Argentina.
Simeone thinks that all the players have “the hope” of doing it in “the best way” in a cup semi-final. “We are going to face the game with responsibility, knowing that We are going to play against a team that plays very well, that is having a very good season and that is a tough opponent.”, he noted.
”Reaching a final is very nice for the fans and the club, and not to mention for the players. There will be an important atmosphere, as the people of Bilbao are accustomed to, we do not expect a match that will not be intense“, with great aggressiveness at the beginning of the game on their part, which they usually do a lot when they play at home,” explained the Argentine coach about the way they approach the game.
The summary of the first leg
In relation to his expectations for the match, Cholo anticipated: “I hope my players play a great game and we can reach the final, which is what the fans, the players and the club want,” he said. ”If he Bilbao thinks about going out to press high or hard and we have a good start to the game and we will progress, the plan they have will not work,” he commented. As to what Atlético needs to advance to the final, Simeone used irony: “The ability to score two more goals than them”.
He also made it clear that his mind He is “absolutely” in the Athletic match and is not thinking about the Champions League match against Inter Milan, which will be played on March 13 in Madrid after the 1-0 scoreline achieved by the Italian team in the first leg of the round of 16.
Finally, given the possibility that the move to the final will be decided by penalties, ‘Cholo’ explained that his players “normally” stay to practice them “after training”, but that it has nothing to do with the situation of a match. “We would have to take the scenario to 120 minutes of play, with the nerves, the intensity, the fatigue and the responsibility that comes with going to kick a penalty at that moment,” he concluded.
Without Griezmann and with Correa
In the same press conference, Simeone confirmed that Antoine Griezmann will not be available for this Thursday’s match. “We need him to recover well,” he summarized, while highlighting the attacker’s “great effort” to be available.
The top scorer in Atlético’s history, with 175 goals, suffered a moderate sprain to his right ankle in Tuesday’s match last week against Inter Milan at San Siro, in the round of 16 of the Champions League. As a result of that discomfort, he missed last Saturday’s clash against Almería and will not be able to play this Thursday in Bilbao.
“Antoine is not going to participate in the game. We need him to recover well. He surely he will be. He made a great effort to try to be available“But nothing, with the peace of mind of knowing that the teammates who will enter will do it in the best way,” said Cholo at the press conference held at the Majadahonda Sports City.
However, he made it clear that this loss does not change his plan: “I did not imagine having him available for this match, beyond the fact that he has made a great effort to be with the group, so I already had other situations in mind” , explained the coach, who He tried Ángel Correa in the Frenchman’s usual place. Álvaro Morata will also return to the lead.
What the coach did not reveal is whether the French footballer will travel to support the team beyond his absence due to injury. “There are many questions. “I can’t answer you that much,” responded the Argentine coach.
Themes
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