Luis Enrique appeared at the press conference prior to Wednesday’s match at the Vicente Calderón. The coach from Asturias said: "We have the normal expectations. The result is advantageous, but the qualifying round is open. We will try to surpass Atlético de Madrid football wise."

With respect to the rival, he said: "It has always been difficult for us to beat Atlético de Madrid. Us coaches try to generate doubts in the rival and everything happens by doing things right."

For his part, Mascherano spoke of our team and the tomorrow’s fixture. "I have respect for Atlético de Madrid, because they excel at everything they do, and have things very clear, and that is why they have been competing so long, and they have fought hard for everything they have achieved in recent years, and we obviously have respect for them as they respect us, two big teams with different philosophies face each other," he said.