Diego Simeone has approved Atletico Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid but insists Getafe on Saturday remains their priority.
Los Colchoneros were dealt a rematch of last season’s final, which their arch-rivals won 4-1 to clinch La Decima, in Friday’s last-eight draw, but the Coach only has eyes on catching up with third-placed Valencia in La Liga for now.
“[Real Madrid] are great opponents, like the other seven are at this stage of the Champions League, but we have a big game ahead,” he told reporters.
“I’m thinking more about Getafe. There will be time [to think about Real Madrid], I think there’s three weeks until then, almost a month, so you [journalists] can have your fun talking about a match of such magnitude.
“I live beyond contracts and future renewals. I live every day, trying to become stronger and take more energy from what I feel in every game and training session.
“That’s what’s kept me going for these four years. I live what I perceive and feel. Beyond the actual situations of continuity, the relationship I have with the club, players and the atmosphere endorses me.
“We’re definitely growing. We’re now much stronger structurally and more robust. It’s true that we’ve scored less goals [this season], but we’ve greatly improved our intensity and compactness as a team.
“We are very confident in [Fernando] Torres, [Raul] Jimenez, [Mario] Mandzukic and [Antoine] Griezmann. We know that the most important moments [of the season] are about to appear.
“Now comes a defining moment [in the season], and hopefully Torres, Jimenez and Griezmann, out of those three, can find a goal because that’s what we need from them.
“Koke has been out a long time and is possibly the best set-piece specialist [in the world]. He’s an option we badly need back, but [when he does] he’ll be very important to us.
“It’s clear that our effort the other day [against Bayer Leverkusen] was huge and hopefully the team can respond again with another great performance.
“It will depend mainly on how we start the match, but our thinking is always positive. It gives us confidence that everything will turn out well.
“We can’t think about anything else other than the League and must keep fighting until the end with Valencia and Sevilla.
“[On Saturday], we need to make it clear that our priority is Getafe. There should be no place for anything else in our heads.
“We must acknowledge that to remain on course [for a top-three finish], we can’t get away from thinking about our next opponents. Our rivals have needs, and we have ours.
“I want to win [on Saturday]. We need to win so we can stay in our important position and continue the daily competition we have with our rivals [in the table].
“Apart from that, I honestly have no interest in anything else [referring to the Clasico].”
