The bomb dropped this morning in the Champions League draw after Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid were paired in the round of 16. The tournament's new format left very few options for both teams, as the rojiblancos only had two possible opponents. The other candidate was Bayern Munich, which eliminated a Celtic of Glasgow in the previous round that pushed them to the limit until the 94th minute.
It won't be a novel encounter, as the colchonero team has faced their eternal rival up to four times in this competition. The good news is that the second leg will be played at the Metropolitano, so everything will be decided in the rojiblanco stronghold. Therefore, fans haven't waited to get a ticket for the first leg that will be played next week at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Avalanche of Requests at Atlético de Madrid
The positive aspect in the Champions League is that all teams are required to provide 5% of their capacity for visiting clubs. Therefore, Atlético de Madrid could have more than 4,000 fans supporting them at the Santiago Bernabéu and helping them achieve a very important result. It didn't take long, as the rojiblanco club's website crashed within a few minutes of the draw being made.
Virtual queues exceeded 20 minutes as the confidence shown by Simeone in a press conference further boosted the fans' excitement. The last time both clubs met in the Champions League was in the final season at the Vicente Calderón, where the colchoneros came close to a comeback. This season, both encounters ended in a draw, showing the equality that exists between both squads.
A Hellish Schedule for Simeone
The negative aspect is that the next month is going to be very tough for Atlético de Madrid, especially with several clashes against two of the best teams in the world. Beyond that tie against Real Madrid, there will also be three clashes against FC Barcelona in the Copa del Rey and LaLiga. To this, it must be added that the rojiblancos are only one point away from the top of the standings in the league championship and want to stay in the fight.
It's going to be a decisive month, as it could define what Simeone and his players aspire to, with all titles at stake. The first challenge will be tomorrow against Valencia at Mestalla, a team that has grown with the change of coach and is moving away from the relegation zone. Simeone will have the confirmed absences of Koke and Pablo Barrios, hinting that the chosen one to join Rodrigo de Paul will be Marcos Llorente in the midfield.