Germany won 2-1 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, but coach Diego Simeone is still wary of Dortmund's strength when playing at home in the second leg.
"Dortmund are very strong at home, they will definitely start at a high tempo and we have to maintain the form we have shown in the past matches," Simeone said in Dortmund on April 15, at a press conference before the match.
The Argentine coach believes Dortmund have many skillful and skillful wingers, midfielders who can shoot from distance and are very strong in set pieces. He will analyze the first leg of the quarter-final as well as Dortmund's recent matches to help Atletico find ways to hurt their opponents.
Coach Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid training ground on April 14. Photo: X / Atletico Madrid
In the first leg at the Metropolitano on the evening of April 10, Atletico dominated and led 2-0 in the first half thanks to Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino. The Spanish representative then squandered the opportunity and let Sebastien Haller score in the 81st minute. Atletico were even lucky to escape two goals when Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Julian Brandt hit the crossbar in the 87th and 90+5 minutes respectively.
Simeone admitted to feeling nervous in the final moments of the match and praised Dortmund's eye-catching attacking style. However, the 53-year-old coach is confident Atletico will overcome the pressure in front of the German audience, maintain their advantage and secure a ticket to the Champions League semi-finals.
Dortmund's two goals conceded in the first leg came from errors in their own half by defenders Ian Maatsen and Mats Hummels. Therefore, coach Edin Terzic wants his players to minimize individual mistakes or they will be punished by an experienced opponent like Atletico.
The German side suffered a setback when Sebastien Haller, the striker who scored in the first leg, was injured in the win over Gladbach last weekend and will be out for at least two weeks. Haller has had ongoing health problems since joining Dortmund in the summer of 2022. He took six months off to treat testicular cancer and has been sidelined for a long time with an ankle injury this season.
Terzic is unsure whether to use Niclas Fullkrug or Youssoufa Moukoko instead of Haller as a centre-forward. But in return, Dortmund welcome Jadon Sancho back in the starting lineup after sitting out the match against Gladbach.
Dortmund's mainstay is the 80,000-capacity Signal Iduna Park - Germany's largest stadium and one of the biggest in European football. Dortmund have not lost at home in the Champions League since November 2021, having faced Man City, Chelsea, AC Milan, PSG or Newcastle in that time.
"The atmosphere here is absolutely unique," said Julian Brandt. "The fans are always there for us and never let us down. Everyone who comes to the stadium knows they have a huge influence in helping us get over the line."
Hong Duy
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