Simeone relishing Besiktas challenge

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is preparing for the challenge of facing Besikatas after watching his side beat Lazio in the Europa League.

Simeone’s side won 1-0 at home on Thursday to seal a 4-1 aggregate victory over the Italians, setting up a round of 16 tie with Turkish outfit Besiktas.

“I haven’t seen any of Besiktas matches but I know Turkish football and it’s mentality,” Simeone said.

“They are strong, aggressive and strong willed. The tie will be fiercly disputed and we will have to prepare ourselves in the best way possible since it’s a tough rival.”

Before they face Besiktas, Atletico host La Liga giants Barcelona on Sunday with a potential top four spot on the line for Simeone’s side.

The coach said it was a tough assignment for his player to have such a big match so close to a midweek fixture and hinted at some changes on the pitch.

“First we will see how the players recover from now until Saturday. On Saturday morning we will make some decisions based on that as to who we play,” he said.

“I have decided on some names but still have others to think about. Without a doubt we will put the best team out there and we are very excited to play this match.”

“I will approach this game with humility and excitement and will put the best team we can on the pitch.”

“We have to see how everyone is again on Saturday. If it’s not Saturday yet we can’t talk about anything. So we’ll see what happens on Saturday.”