Simeone: "We return to the Calderón with the enthusiasm generated by the team competing well"

The red and white coach said “we're only thinking in this fixture against Almería. We return to the Calderón after the win against Madrid two weeks ago. And we return with our people, with the enthusiasm generated by the team playing in all the competitions, despite the first half in Vigo. Tomorrow we'll try to take the match where we feel more comfortable and follow in the same line.”

Simeone said a few months back that Valencia and Sevilla were going to be Atlético's rivals for the Champions. At that time, he noted that “we'll have to wait a bit more. In consequence if what we declared five or six months ago, everything is as we had foreseen. Valencia became very solid and Sevilla has been growing nicely under Emery with a great work. I was convinced that our rivals to achieve our main goal that is the Champions are going to be Sevilla and Valencia. Villarreal can appear and get in because they play very well and have grown enormously, although they've had some injuries that can slightly harm them. Our Championship is still the same as it was six months ago, which is against Sevilla and Valencia.”

Simeone gets Arda Turan and Raúl García back. The coach commented that “the other day, Arda, Koke and Raúl were missing. Normally, squads are formed with four players in two places, on the wings. Saúl can also do it, as can Cani since his arrival. The absence of Arda is different because he's a player who pauses us, we can attack in the gaps, he has a sense combining in the midfield with the defence, the wingers and the big attack. And when he's good, he's unbalancing. It's clear he's one of our determining players.”

To finish, he provided the team that will be playing against Almería: “Moyá; Juanfran, Miranda, Godín, Siqueira; Arda, Gabi, Tiago, Saúl; Griezmann and Mandžukić.”