Atletico Madrid is set to face off against Barcelona in the first leg of the Spanish Copa del Rey semifinal at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona, Spain. The match, scheduled for Tuesday at 9:30 PM (20:30 GMT), marks the beginning of a demanding five-week stretch for Atletico Madrid, which also includes a two-legged clash against Real Madrid in the Champions League and another meeting with Barcelona in LaLiga. Atletico Madrid, trailing closely behind both giants by a single point at the top of the table, will need to maintain focus under the leadership of manager Diego Simeone.
Simeone has urged his players to concentrate on one game at a time amidst their hectic schedule. He emphasized the importance of resilience and seizing opportunities against formidable opponents.
“When you face big teams, you know you have to be prepared to resist, to endure suffering,” he stated.
The Atletico manager is optimistic about their chances, noting the importance of capitalizing on moments in the game.
“There will be good moments for each side and you need to take advantage of those,” said Simeone.
Barcelona enters the Copa del Rey semifinal with lessons learned from their recent LaLiga defeat by Atletico Madrid. Manager Hansi Flick acknowledged the need for his team to be more clinical in front of goal as they prepare for the rematch. Atletico Madrid's historic 2-1 victory over Barcelona in December marked their first away win at Barcelona in 18 years, adding extra pressure on Flick's side to perform.
Barcelona's Dani Olmo, who has been instrumental since joining from RB Leipzig with seven goals and three assists in 22 appearances, recently scored off the bench in their win over Las Palmas. However, Atletico Madrid's Lamine Yamal missed Monday's training due to a knock from their previous game against Las Palmas. Despite this setback, Yamal hopes to be fit for the crucial game against Barcelona.
Simeone is focused on ensuring his team approaches each match with determination and strategic play.
“We’re up against an opponent that I really like the way they play. They have great attacking strength and we’ll be looking to hurt them where we think we can,” expressed Simeone.
He reiterated the importance of a match-by-match focus.
“The key, the only way, is to look at each day match-by-match,” Simeone advised his players.
For Simeone, the immediate task is clear: maintain excitement and compete effectively by focusing solely on the upcoming game against Barcelona.
“We are excited, we want to compete, looking forward to facing each game in the best way possible and to achieve that we are focused solely on tomorrow’s game,” Simeone noted.
As both teams prepare for this intense encounter, Simeone highlighted the significance of scoring and remembering that the semifinal consists of two legs.
“We have to take advantage of the opportunity to score, the important thing is to score goals. And we have to keep in mind that it’s two games and not just one,” he concluded.
