Advantage Celta after goalless draw, concedes Simeone

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone insists Celta Vigo have a slight advantage heading into the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final tie after the sides drew 0-0 in the first encounter on Wednesday.

Having made five changes from the 3-0 win over Las Palmas at the weekend, the Liga leaders struggled to assert themselves during a tightly contested first leg at the Estadio de Balaidos.  

Despite Atletico having won their last nine home games in all competitions, Simeone insists Eduardo Berizzo’s men will arrive at the Vicente Calderon as slight favourites.

Speaking after the game, Simeone told reporters: “It has been an open match. They had a better ball percentage.

“Any tie now will benefit them and that is what stands out for the next match.”  

Atletico are competing for silverware on three fronts and Simeone has challenged his players to show they can cope with the demands of an increasingly congested fixture list.

He said: “We knew it. From the moment that we advanced to the last qualifying round, we knew that more and more effort and more work would be required as a result of the responsibility you have in the competitions and the demands of the matches.

“Now we have to rest, eat well and prepare the matches well to get there in the best possible way.”