Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke expects “warfare” against Juventus and is not taking their 2-0 lead for granted. “Anything can happen in the Champions League.”
The first leg ended 2-0 for Atleti and the decider in the Champions League Round of 16 is in Turin on Tuesday at 20.00 GMT.
“What I am most concerned with is how we will play. It’ll be fundamental to play with intensity, because we know that we have a positive first leg result, but anything can happen, so it still depends on us,” said Koke in his Press conference.
Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke expects “warfare” against Juventus and is not taking their 2-0 lead for granted. “Anything can happen in the Champions League.”
The first leg ended 2-0 for Atleti and the decider in the Champions League Round of 16 is in Turin on Tuesday at 20.00 GMT.
“What I am most concerned with is how we will play. It’ll be fundamental to play with intensity, because we know that we have a positive first leg result, but anything can happen, so it still depends on us,” said Koke in his Press conference.
“Juve are very strong in the air, are good at pressing and will have the crowd behind them, but it’s 11 against 11 and we must start strong too.
“We’ve had tough games in recent years, but then they always are at this level. We are ready and will try to ensure there are no surprises. We want to go through at all costs, so we know the result we have is positive, but not definitive.
“There are still 90 minutes to go if we want to get through to the next round. We have experience in certain types of games at this level and we want to use that to our advantage.”
Atletico Madrid have never won the Champions League, but this could be their year, as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have already gone out, while they could eliminate Juventus tomorrow.
“We know anything can happen in the Champions League. We are humble, we know that we are facing a great team. We played very well at the Wanda Metropolitano and come here convinced we can put in a similar performance, but have to give our all.
“We’re fired up and have to prove it on the pitch. We’ve already played in fiery atmospheres, so we know it’ll be like warfare on the field, but it’s 11 against 11 and if we are humble, we’ll go through.”