Atletico Madrid Coach Diego Simeone is looking forward to facing Milan at San Siro, but insists “it’s not a derby for me.”

The two teams were paired together in the Champions League Round of 16 with the first leg in Milan on February 19 and the return on March 11.

Atletico Madrid Coach Diego Simeone is looking forward to facing Milan at San Siro, but insists “it’s not a derby for me.”

The two teams were paired together in the Champions League Round of 16 with the first leg in Milan on February 19 and the return on March 11.

“It will be a great challenge, among the most important in this season, against a team that has won the Champions League several times,” said Simeone in a Press conference.

“San Siro is a wonderful stadium, where I played many times. Milan is a beautiful city and I’m sure we will see a great match.”

‘Cholo’ played for Inter from 1996 to 1999, then remained in Serie A with Lazio until 2003.

“I don’t see this as a Milan Derby. I have great respect for Milan and those who work there. They have a great Coach who must keep hold of a very difficult bench and an exceptional squad.

“We’ll see if they buy any more great players in January and also what the form is going into such a wonderful challenge.

“Currently I’d see qualification as a 50 per cent chance each. We’re still in December, so it’s too early to say who is the favourite.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tickets Kit Collector