Bayern Munich’s Juan Bernat has accused referees of being too lenient towards Atletico Madrid ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg.
Atleti”s style of play has been derided as being overly physical at times and Bernat – who is no stranger to Los Colchoneros, having played against them in La Liga with Valencia – believes their impact has been exaggerated by officials who “let them off too much”.
“We know what Atletico are like, they’re an aggressive team who are let off by referees too much,” the full-back told Bayern’s official website.
“We know that some of their players will try to rile us in the game.
“Nobody expected them to eliminate Barcelona. It’ll be a difficult task, but we want to be in Milan.
“That’s our objective, and we’ll do everything to get there.
Bernat’s fellow Spain international Javi Martinez added: “Atletico are the team we least wanted to face.
“They will be difficult to overcome and, for me, are the hardest possible team in the semis.
“Defensively they’re one of the best teams in Europe. They’re very aggressive, but they havent got to the semi-finals of the Champions League by aggression alone.
“They play with a mix of aggression, concentration, good football and a mentality that makes them so strong. They’re a complete team.”
Bayern’s third Spaniard Thiago Alcantara concluded: “they’ve developed a style of play and carry it out consistently. Now they’re competing for La Liga and the Champions League.
“We expect a difficult game, in which we need to be at our best. We know it’ll be a very difficult match at the Vicente Calderon.
“It’s one of the best stadiums in Europe in terms of their support. We need to focus on our game and not let them take control of the pitch in order to achieve a good result for the second leg at our place.”
