Diego Simeone looks ahead to Club Brugge clash, warns of dangers in Belgium | OneFootball

On Tuesday, Atlético de Madrid coach Diego Simeone spoke to the press about preparations for the next match. This Wednesday, Atlético faces Club Brugge at the Jan Breydelstadion, in Bruges, Belgium, for the first leg of the Champions League playoffs, starting at 5 p.m. (Brasília time).

Simeone highlighted the players’ motivation for the knockout stage match in the Champions League.

“Football players always go onto the field motivated, but sometimes things go better than others. Sometimes, they don’t. This happens in several competitions. In these four games, we had good things and bad things,” he said.

Difficulty of playing in Belgium

The 55-year-old coach warned the team about the difficulty of playing in Bruges. Only Arsenal has won in Belgium. Monaco, Barcelona, and Olympique de Marseille were unable to take all three points this season.

“We’re going to face an opponent who, besides Arsenal, has a good home record against Monaco, Marseille, Barça… They are young, but experienced. Very fast in the final third of the field,” he emphasized.

“All the teams in the Champions League are good. They can create any kind of situation. Tomorrow, as in all away games, it will be a tough and complicated match, and we will have to win it no matter what,” he added.

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Status of the center-back duo

Regarding the starting lineup, Simeone was asked about the center-back duo Hancko and Pubill. The defenders played together in the last Copa del Rey matches, in which Atlético did not concede any goals.

“It’s clear what both can contribute. They have connected well, considering their strengths. Like everyone, they need to improve in some areas. They add value to things the team already does very well. Giménez played well, Lenglet didn’t have a good afternoon… we need everyone. The team belongs to everyone, not just one player,” he stated.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.