Diego Pablo Simeone attended the media this morning in Majadahonda to analyze tomorrow's match against Celta de Vigo. The red-and-white team wants to keep pressuring Real Madrid at the top of the standings with a new victory in front of their fans at the Metropolitano. Cholo will have the entire squad at his disposal, having many options to craft his starting eleven and manage playing time.
Although there are still some uncertainties, the good news is that the colchoneros have a few weeks with fewer matches after skipping the round of sixteen in the Champions League. Additionally, it was announced this week that FC Barcelona will be their next opponent in the Copa del Rey semifinals, with the first leg being in Montjuïc. Meanwhile, the opponent for the Champions League round of 16 will be known next week, once the preliminary round concludes.
Simeone's Romantic Message
Today is Valentine's Day and Cholo was asked which competition he is most in love with this season. "The one of life, of having health, strength, energy, and having the stimulus to convey to people what I feel for this game," the Argentine explained. He also spoke about soccer, praising the good form that Samuel Lino is experiencing.
"We believe that for the matches he had to start, it was more convenient than Conor, who is more about teamwork and recovery, Lino is more about speed and vertigo," he said. He also didn't want to deviate from his match-by-match approach, despite the fact that next month's schedule will be more than demanding for the colchoneros. Finally, he stated that he needs all positions to have that internal competition that allows the team to keep growing.
Doubts in the Red-and-White Team
Despite having all the players at his disposal, it seems clear that Simeone has few doubts regarding the starting eleven he will field tomorrow. Everything points to Nahuel Molina occupying the right-back position, with Marcos Llorente resting after a great effort in the clash against Real Madrid. Samuel Lino would also start, one of the footballers who has been improving in recent weeks, winning the battle on the left wing.
The attack zone will be occupied by Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez, while in the double pivot, Rodrigo de Paul will once again pair with Pablo Barrios. Javi Galán will be the left-back, and in the center of defense will be Clement Lenglet and Robin Le Normand, with Josema Giménez returning to the bench. Celta de Vigo already gave Atlético de Madrid a lot of trouble in a first-leg match that was solved in the final minutes in favor of the colchoneros.