Champions League draw
The Champions League quarter-final draw ends tonight and we will be battling Manchester City for a place in the final four. The first leg will be played at Etihad Stadium at 3:00am on 6 April and we will return to the Wanda Metropolitano stadium for the second leg on 14 April at 3:00am. We have never played against Manchester City in the Champions League, and we hope that Ni Jing can go one step further!
Pre-match press conference
Tomorrow night we will play away to Vallecano, with head coach Simeone in attendance at today's press conference. A journalist friend came up and asked about his Champions League opponents, and he said:
'I have a lot of respect and appreciation for Guardiola and the work he's done at Manchester City, it's going to be a tough showdown and we'll have time to evaluate the match against Manchester City later on, but the next round is against Rayo Vallecano and we're only thinking about La Liga at the moment.'
Another reporter asked Simeone and Guardiola how they felt when they met again, and the head coach said:
"I understand that you want to get a little bit of a topic from the Champions League draw, but I'm only focused on playing against Rayo Vallecano today and if anyone wants to ask me questions about Rayo Vallecano, I'd welcome it."
Regarding Captain Cork's pick-up in form, Simone said:
"He's been at this club for so many years, it's common to go through a trough, and he's just returned from injury and needs time to get used to the rhythm of the game and get back to his best. He played very well against Manchester United that day and we need Koke, who has that form, who is a vital player for us. ”
How is the locker room status: The head coach answers:
'Judging by the balance of the dressing room, I understand why we've had such a bad record before, and I also know that as the competition in the squad intensifies, everyone's participation will increase, and although some people's playing time is compressed, you can see that everyone has the same enthusiasm and expectations for the opportunities to play."
Talking about the psychological construction of the team, the head coach replied:
'We're always ready to face any strong opponent, and sometimes we get to that mental state, full of fighting spirit, to show the best at Atletico Madrid.'