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Diego Simeone, the Atletico Madrid manager, has pledged to challenge an "extraordinary" Liverpool side in the upcoming game at Anfield.
Despite facing a depleted squad due to injuries, with five key players missing, Simeone remains undaunted, having previously led his team to victory at the same venue during the 2020 Champions League round of 16.
"We need to look at the positive side," Simeone stated during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday. "The players coming in have a chance to show what they can do. Missing players is part of the game. We are focused on the ones who can play tomorrow.
"We play against an extraordinary opponent in a magnificent stadium with unbelievable fans, a coach that took his team to the top level. They competed very well in the Champions League last season and won the league.
"We have a tough opponent but we will try to hurt them in the game tomorrow whenever we can."
Among those not travelling with the team is former Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez, who is nursing a knee injury. Thiago Almada, Jose Maria Gimenez, Alex Baena and Johnny Cardoso are also absent.
Atletico enters the match on a high note, having secured their first victory of the season with a 2-0 La Liga triumph over Villarreal at home over the weekend.
Simeone was effusive in his praise for both Liverpool's performance under Arne Slot and the unwavering support from the Reds' fans.
"We play a fantastic opponent in a stadium I love," he said.
"Liverpool are direct, very quick transitions, they interpret the game in a very simple way, they use their wide players and they have a wonderful centre-back who can knock ball around.
"Simplicity of the game isn't something everyone sees. It shows you how hard they work and how good their footballers are. It will be a tough game and a difficult game.
"I'm sure we will have the intention of bringing the game where we want it to go."
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Simeone also reflected on Atletico's victory at Anfield five years ago, where Marcos Llorente scored twice in extra time, helping Atletico overturn a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2.
"The best anecdote I have is Diego Costa," Simeone recalled.
"He was extremely unhappy in the second half as I'd taken him off and put Marcos Llorente up front.
"He came up to me at the end of the game and said: 'You have the balls, eh'. And I said: 'Maybe I do!'"
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
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