Atletico ´privileged´ to be in the semis alongside Bayern

The general manager of Atletico Madrid, Clemente Villaverde, spoke of his pride at the club’s place in the last four of the Champions League, where they will take on Bayern Munich.

Atletico and Bayern were paired at Friday’s ceremony in Nyon, with the winner set to face Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final at San Siro at the end of May.

Atletico, runners-up two years ago, sensationally edged out holders Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate in their quarter-final, while Bayern – champions in 2013 – overcame Benfica by the same scoreline.

And Villaverde is eagerly anticipating the two-legged tie, which begins later this month, against Pep Guardiola’s side.

“For me it is a privilege to represent Atletico Madrid and their fans in a Champions League semi-final against a club like Bayern Munich,” he said.

“I’m happy about that fact and also happy to play a semi-final of this competition. Atletico Madrid has demonstrated sufficient resilience to tackle this series of matches throughout the competition and we hope to be able to maintain the resilience now.

“The two semi-finals are very tight because four teams that reach this stage of competition means that the four have demonstrated sufficient capacity to be here.

“They are two important and very open semi-finals. In addition, there is a possibility to repeat a Spanish final [of 2014].

“It has already been shown that in two games a lot can change in the tie. What you need to do is play every game as if it were a real final.

“Each will be different. We must be able to maintain our style and do what we are doing in every game.”