Diego Simeone Reacts To Another Madrid Derby In The Champions League
Real Madrid will play city rivals Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. Los Blancos beat Manchester City (6-3 on aggregate) in the play-offs to book their slot in the Round of 16.
The first leg of the Madrid derby in the Champions League will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 4, and the second leg will be set for a week later.
Diego Simeone has now reacted to being pitted against defending European champions Real Madrid. He spoke to the media ahead of Atletico Madrid's La Liga away game against Valencia.
Simeone said:
A great match, a great match. And we are ready. When you choose to be a coach, you want the best, you seek to face the strongest opponents and compete in all competitions to be close to winning. We are there, and I am happy with everything that is happening.Diego Simeone
Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are currently tangled up in the La Liga title race. Los Blancos are second with 51 points from 24 matches, with third-placed Atleti a point behind in a top-heavy league table. League leaders Barcelona are tied on points with Los Merengues.
📝✨ Our rival is @atletienglish!@adidasfootball pic.twitter.com/LEEwJrbja5
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 21, 2025
The two sides met in La Liga on February 8, with the score ending in a 1-1 stalemate. The two Madrid sides have met four times in the UEFA Champions League. Atletico Madrid have lost on all four occasions, including in two finals, in 2013-14 and 2015-16. On the other hand, Real Madrid is looking to defend its European crown.
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Apratim is an experienced sports journalist having covered European and World Football, Combat Sports, Olympic Sports, and more for online media publications like Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. He is currently an MSc. in Sport Marketing student at Loughborough University, London.