Diego Pablo Simeone analysed the first assault to the round of 16 played against Bayer Leverkusen (1-0): "I'm happy after a game where we had to use two changes in the first half, we made the third to go in search of a draw and we were a player short for more than 20 minutes. I have the feeling that we have life. Another rival, at another time, one player short and without changes, would have closed it. They have not closed it and it may be a possibility for us."

Simeone said that "the absences will be covered with players who have been training, preparing and being in a competitive group that knows that it depends on the group to get by these situations. A team serves to win a match and a group serves to win important things. Let's see if we can do it with the guys who’ll play."