Wednesday, January 28, 2015
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'To be the best, you play the best'
Diego Simeone insists Atletico Madrid are not daunted by their Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg with Barcelona on Wednesday.
Los Colchoneros face the inenviable task of turning around their tie with the Catalans if they plan to reach the last four, but El Cholo says his players are keen to prove their worth against established heavyweights.
“The truth is that fans know what it's like at the Calderon. I don't feel the need to elaborate on that,” he said at a Press conference.
“We must try to avoid the situations which Barca hurt us with in recent matches.
“We envision a game like the ones we play at home, playing as it suits us.
“From there, we'll see what we get. We'll seek the game we want to find. Hopefully, we can do it.
“Barcelona historically have a football philosophy, which hasn't changed.
“They've put [Lionel] Messi out on the right to give [Luis] Suarez more of a reference in the centre.
“It's the only change they might make. If they play well then Messi has to stay on the right.
“It's different [to last season] because of our players, and some of them are different.
“That was the Champions League, this is the Copa del Rey. The atmosphere will be very nice.
“I've found [playing Real] Madrid and Barcelona equally great because they make you better as a team.
“We always say that playing them puts you closer to them. We welcome it. Playing the best makes you better.”
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona Betting: Why backing Lionel Messi to score offers unmissable value
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique hopes Atletico Madrid play fair
Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique insists his sole focus will be on the second leg of the club's quarter-final with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique says he hopes his side's Copa del Rey quarterfinal second leg at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday evening to "stay within the sporting rules.
" Barca visited the Estadio Vicente Calderon three times during Gerardo Martino's reign last season, drawing in the Supercopa and La Liga, and being beaten 1-0 in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg as Atletico progressed amid a heated atmosphere on and off the pitch.
The teams have met twice this season, both at the Camp Nou, and Barca have won both -- including last week's 1-0 first-leg win -- but the Calderon may make life more difficult.
Luis Enrique told a news conference that he was aware of Atletico's reputation but hoped there would not be excessive aggression.
"I saw all the games from last season, and they have been analysed," Luis Enrique said. "I expect the typical characteristics of Atletico, even more as they are playing at home. I expect a very hard version. I would like the game to stay within the sporting rules. I would like it to be a good spectacle.
" With Atletico having eliminated Real Madrid in the previous round, Barcelona would be overwhelming favourites to win the trophy if they were to reach the semifinals.
However, Luis Enrique said: "That view might be held outside the dressing room, but if we think that way ourselves we would be mistaken. Of the three big teams only one will remain, but we cannot get overconfident."
Lionel Messi scored the only goal as Barcelona won the first leg against Atletico.
Lionel Messi, who was superb in Barca's 3-1 La Liga win over Atletico on Jan. 11 and scored the winner in last week's first leg, looks likely to again be positioned on the right of the front three, with Luis Suarez at centre-forward.
"It changes, and where Leo plays depends a lot on the opponent," Luis Enrique said. "Sometimes we prefer for him to be outside. He brings everything for us, and wherever he plays is the basis of our play.
" Atletico's new attacking star Antoine Griezmann has recently started to show the form that persuaded his club to pay 30 million euros to sign him from Real Sociedad in the summer.
The France international told Marca that to turn the tie around, his side must take advantage of a loud Calderon atmosphere, create chances and be "strong."
"With the support of our fans, we will try to go through," he said. "We must create more chances and score. If we did not believe we could turn it around, we would not take to the pitch.
"It will be a tough game, but very nice. We will give everything to go through. We will try to give our best, each one of us, and be strong
." The visitors are close to full-strength for the encounter, with versatile defender Jeremy Mathieu having returned to the match squad after recovering from his recent Achilles tendon issue. The France international is likely to be on the bench, though, with Luis Enrique sticking closely to the more settled lineup that has helped Barca return to top form recently.
Atletico will be without three important players for the game, with centre-back Diego Godin suspended, and midfield duo Koke and Tiago both left out of the squad due to injury.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique says he hopes his side's Copa del Rey quarterfinal second leg at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday evening to "stay within the sporting rules.
" Barca visited the Estadio Vicente Calderon three times during Gerardo Martino's reign last season, drawing in the Supercopa and La Liga, and being beaten 1-0 in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg as Atletico progressed amid a heated atmosphere on and off the pitch.
The teams have met twice this season, both at the Camp Nou, and Barca have won both -- including last week's 1-0 first-leg win -- but the Calderon may make life more difficult.
Luis Enrique told a news conference that he was aware of Atletico's reputation but hoped there would not be excessive aggression.
"I saw all the games from last season, and they have been analysed," Luis Enrique said. "I expect the typical characteristics of Atletico, even more as they are playing at home. I expect a very hard version. I would like the game to stay within the sporting rules. I would like it to be a good spectacle.
" With Atletico having eliminated Real Madrid in the previous round, Barcelona would be overwhelming favourites to win the trophy if they were to reach the semifinals.
However, Luis Enrique said: "That view might be held outside the dressing room, but if we think that way ourselves we would be mistaken. Of the three big teams only one will remain, but we cannot get overconfident."
Lionel Messi scored the only goal as Barcelona won the first leg against Atletico.
Lionel Messi, who was superb in Barca's 3-1 La Liga win over Atletico on Jan. 11 and scored the winner in last week's first leg, looks likely to again be positioned on the right of the front three, with Luis Suarez at centre-forward.
"It changes, and where Leo plays depends a lot on the opponent," Luis Enrique said. "Sometimes we prefer for him to be outside. He brings everything for us, and wherever he plays is the basis of our play.
" Atletico's new attacking star Antoine Griezmann has recently started to show the form that persuaded his club to pay 30 million euros to sign him from Real Sociedad in the summer.
The France international told Marca that to turn the tie around, his side must take advantage of a loud Calderon atmosphere, create chances and be "strong."
"With the support of our fans, we will try to go through," he said. "We must create more chances and score. If we did not believe we could turn it around, we would not take to the pitch.
"It will be a tough game, but very nice. We will give everything to go through. We will try to give our best, each one of us, and be strong
." The visitors are close to full-strength for the encounter, with versatile defender Jeremy Mathieu having returned to the match squad after recovering from his recent Achilles tendon issue. The France international is likely to be on the bench, though, with Luis Enrique sticking closely to the more settled lineup that has helped Barca return to top form recently.
Atletico will be without three important players for the game, with centre-back Diego Godin suspended, and midfield duo Koke and Tiago both left out of the squad due to injury.
How to watch Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona on US TV and Internet with DishWorld
Barcelona plays Atletico Madrid today in the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final, holding a 1-0 aggregate lead from last Wednesday’s match. Kickoff time is 3pm ET/Noon PT, and this match — just like yesterday’s Chelsea-Liverpool game — promises to go down to the wire to determine which club will make it into the semi-final. Today’s aggregate winner will automatically become the favorite to win the 2014/15 Copa del Rey. Luckily for soccer fans in the United States, the Barcelona-Atleti match is being televised live on beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS Espańol!
Programming note: If you don’t have a TV subscription to beIN SPORTS, you can watch Barcelona versus Atletico Madrid live on DishWorld for just $10 per month. The service streams the beIN broadcast in HD to your computer, tablet or smartphone. And set-up just takes minutes. Read our review of DishWorld. And sign up for DishWorld via their website.
DishWorld is a legal, high-quality live stream that also offers exceptional customer service.
How to watch Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona in the USA:
When: Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Pre-game show: Begins at 2:55pm ET/11:55am PT
Start time: Game kicks off at 3pm ET/Noon PT
TV coverage: beIN SPORTS (English language), beIN SPORTS Español (Spanish language)
Online coverage: DishWorld (English and Spanish languages are both available).
For $10/month, DishWorld offers soccer fans access to La Liga, Serie A, Ligue Un, English League Cup, Championship, Russian Premier League, AC Milan TV, Chelsea TV, Bayern Munich TV, Arsenal TV, J-League and more via the Sports Package featuring beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS Español and One World Sports. Sign up for DishWorld via their website to watch the Barcelona-Atleti game and much more. Have questions about DishWorld? Read our DishWorld FAQ. Here’s a demo of how DishWorld works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1MbdDnYX5o
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