Diego Simeone does not believe his Atletico Madrid side can be considered favourites for their Champions League last-16 tie with Tottenham.
Spurs eased through the league phase, finishing in the top eight to go straight through to the last 16. Atletico, meanwhile, had to come through a testing playoff-round tie with Club Brugge, the Rojiblancos winning 7-4 on aggregate.
But the two sides are in hugely contrasting positions in their respective domestic leagues.
While Atletico maintained their advantage in the race for third in LaLiga with a 3-2 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday, Tottenham slumped to a dismal 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace last Thursday, leaving them just a point above the Premier League relegation zone.
Despite Tottenham’s predicament, Simeone rejected the suggestion that Atletico are favourites.
Atletico have never a Champions League knockout game at home under Simeone, who took over in 2011.
But he told a pre-match press conference: “When you step onto the field, you don’t think about the standings or the moment in the season. The players want to win and play good football. I don’t know anyone who thinks about league position when striking the ball.
“Atletico cannot be considered favourites against Tottenham. If you look at their current position in the Premier League… it depends on how you interpret it.”
Asked what worries him about facing a Tottenham side that has not won in the Premier League in 2026, Simeone replied: “Football is a game, and when you have a squad like theirs, it deserves full respect.
“We have to bring the match into the areas where we believe we can cause damage.”
How can Spurs trouble Atletico?
Tottenham’s Champions League performances have belied their dismal Premier League form, and one player to whom they may turn in the Metropolitano is Randal Kolo Muani.
Kolo Muani has been directly involved in five goals (three goals, two assists) in seven games for Tottenham in the Champions League this season.
That tally is his most in a single edition of the Champions League, and only two players have netted more than three goals in their first Champions League campaign as a Spurs player: Gareth Bale and Peter Crouch (both four in 2010-11).
There are six Premier League teams in the last 16 of the Champions League, and the tempo of the Premier League has been identified as a reason for the English clubs’ historic success in the competition.
Asked about the pace with which they play, Simeone replied: “They do play at a higher tempo. I can’t say exactly why — some say referees allow more, others say it’s tactics or preparation.
“But the fact remains: the pace is higher. You can even see it on TV — it’s faster than in Spain, Italy, or Germany. It’s the league with the fastest tempo.
“I don’t think English teams win only because of intensity; they also have high technical quality.”
If Spurs can produce that mix of intensity and quality, then their hopes of contesting a last-eight tie with Barcelona or Newcastle United will improve.
But both those attributes have been sorely lacking from Tottenham’s performances in this league this season, and there is little to suggest that winless interim manager Igor Tudor’s first Champions League knockout game will end with Spurs vindicating Simeone’s curious claim.
