Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone reveals Liverpool admiration as he plots unhappy Wanda Metropolitano return

Ben Hayward18 February 2020

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone says Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side will "go down in history", but has warned the Reds that they will face a different experience on their return to the Wanda Metropoliano on Tuesday night.

Liverpool claimed their sixth European Cup after beating Tottenham in the Champions League final on June 1 and return to the scene of that triumph in the last 16 of the competition this week.

Klopp's side have since added the Uefa Super Cup and the Club World Cup to their trophy cabinet and boast a huge 25-point lead over Manchester City in the Premier League.

Asked in his pre-match press conference if he sees similarities between himself and the German manager, Simeone said: "In some aspects, possibly. In [terms of] intensity, I remember his Borussia Dortmund were a similar team, also at Liverpool with that competitiveness.

"Teams show our characteristics as coaches. After that, those characteristics are increased by what the footballers give the team. This Liverpool team will go down in history because they have greater registers than all the ones we admire.

"They are more intense, more direct, more unpredictable, and as a rival, they have my admiration."

Atletico are out of the Copa del Rey and adrift in LaLiga, 13 points behind leaders Real Madrid. And the Rojiblancos now face Europe's most in-form team over two legs in the Champions League, their last realistic hope of winning a trophy in 2019-20.

But Simeone said: "I don't see pessimism. I see optimism, emotion."

The Champions League represents Diego Simeone and Atletico's only realistic chance of silverware this season
Getty Images

And the Argentine added that the Wanda Metropolitano will play its part in an experience which is set to be very different to the one the Reds encountered in June.

"The stadium will be packed full [with Atletico fans]," he said. "The players are really up for it, looking forward to the game... and I see what I like seeing, which is optimism."

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