Simeone brushes off favourites tag ahead of Atletico´s tie with Tottenham

Diego Simeone insisted that Atletico Madrid were not the favourites heading into their Champions League tie with Tottenham due to their performances in the league phase.

Atletico welcome Spurs to the Metropolitano on Tuesday in the first leg of their last 16 tie, and they will fancy their chances of at least taking a lead to north London next week.

They have progressed from two of their three previous Champions League last-16 ties against English clubs, beating Liverpool in 2019-20 and Manchester United in 2021-22, losing the other to Chelsea in 2020-21.

However, Simeone’s side have only won one of their last 10 meetings with English clubs in UEFA’s flagship competition (D2 L7), beating the Red Devils 1-0 back in March 2022.

And the Atletico boss was quick to point at Spurs’ displays in the league phase, with Thomas Frank, who has since been sacked and replaced by former Juventus boss Igor Tudor, guiding them to a fourth-place finish in the 36-team standings.

Atletico, meanwhile, had to settle for 14th and a spot in the play-offs, but they were able to overcome Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate after a 4-1 win in the second leg.

“We approach everything in the same way. I believe that no team, when they enter the field, remember where they are in the table,” Simeone told reporters.

“Footballers want to play, they want to win, they want to do well. They came fourth in the league phase, we came through the play-offs, so we are not favourites.”

We’re back at home tomorrow pic.twitter.com/87yGPwUi5I

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) March 9, 2026

Tottenham’s domestic form does, however, suggest that Atletico are facing them at the right time, with the Opta supercomputer assigning Simeone’s side a 60.1% chance of taking a first-leg lead.

Following a 2-1 league defeat to Fulham last time out, Spurs sit one point above the relegation zone, having equalled their longest winless streak in the Premier League (10 games, D4 L6).

They have only previously gone 10 consecutive games without victory in the competition between January and March 1994 under Ossie Ardiles.

This will also be Tudor’s first game as a coach in the knockout stages of the Champions League, while he has won just two of nine matches in the competition overall (D2 L5).

His most recent game in the competition was also a defeat in the Spanish capital, losing 0-1 at Real Madrid in charge of Juventus this season, and Simeone believes this unpredictability could cause Atletico a problem.

“We don’t know how Tottenham are going to start the game,” Simeone added.

“We do know their characteristics and I know their coach, who has always set up his teams to play with an offensive thought.

“We imagine many things and then the players can change them.”

There will also be a reunion for Atletico and Conor Gallagher, with the midfielder returning to England and joining Spurs in January for a reported £35m transfer fee.

“He [Gallagher] is a boy who worked with great humility with us, a worker,” Simeone said. “A player who, coming from the second line, is very dangerous.

“He can play in different positions to help the team as needed. He is a boy who behaved very well here. We have very good memories of his time at Atletico.”