(Reuters) – Atletico Madrid are staying laser-focused on earning a top-eight Champions League finish in their last league-phase game at RB Salzburg, coach Diego Simeone said on Tuesday.
Atletico are fifth in the standings and need a win to guarantee direct qualification for the Round of 16 following last week’s 2-1 comeback victory against Bayer Leverkusen.
Having lost their LaLiga lead to Real Madrid and coming off a disappointing 1-1 league draw against Villarreal, the Atletico boss said they would not be distracted from their task on Wednesday.
“We are not thinking about anything other than tomorrow’s game. And we want to do it in the best possible way. We will be up against a young, dynamic team,” Simeone told a press conference.
“They will want to finish the Champions League well. The game is very important and we want to take it to them where it will hurt them.
“When this new tournament started we were hopeful of being among the top eight. It is difficult and will be difficult. There will be difficulties that we will encounter.”
Simeone has previously acknowledged the challenges of the new Champions League format.
Only the top eight in the 36-team table qualify automatically for the round of 16, while the ninth to 24th-placed teams play two-legged knockout playoffs.
With several European heavyweights looking to progress to the next round on Wednesday, the Argentine manager said that the big teams would find a way through.
“I’m not looking too much at everything to do with who can qualify and who can’t,” Simeone said.
“The big teams always end up getting out of difficult situations and I have no doubt that they will end up fighting to win the Champions League.”
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis)
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