'I don’t think we should only talk about Cristiano Ronaldo', says Diego Simeone ahead of Juventus-Atletico UCL clash
What's the story?
Ahead of their decisive Champions League clash against Juventus later tonight, Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has warned his players that their focus should be on the entire Bianconeri team and not only on their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo.
In case you didn't know...
Juventus will host Atletico Madrid in the crucial second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 fixture, with the hopes of overturning their 2-0 first leg deficit to secure a place in the competition's quarter-finals.
While overturning a two-goal deficit is a monumental task for the Bianconeri, Ronaldo has asked fans to rally behind the team and think positive.
The Portuguese ace said (via Marca) "On Tuesday night, let's think positively, let's believe."
"It's possible, but we need your help to make the stadium look good and beautiful. Be everything together—everyone together.
"And we need your help because we are going to do our job on the pitch to try and score goals and win the game, and we need your support.
"Thank you very much. ... Get ready to comeback!"
The heart of the matter
Speaking ahead of the big clash, Simeone has advised his players to look at the bigger picture as opposed to focusing on Ronaldo alone.
Simeone said (via Fox Sports Asia), "I don’t think we should only talk about Cristiano Ronaldo. There is [Paulo] Dybala, [Mario] Mandzukic, there are many important players for Juventus who we need to pay attention to."
Despite their two-goal advantage, the Atletico boss believes that his side should not consider themselves as favourites to go through.
"No, because it’s very difficult at half-time to say that a team is the favourite. We have to wait until the end."
"When the round starts with such important teams, you have two separate times: one at home, and one away. Whoever progresses the best in these times will win."
"They’re two games. They’re important knockout matches and one will go through. Whoever takes advantage of the space given will progress."
What's next?
It remains to be seen whether Juventus can overturn the deficit, with a number of stars in their ranks.