Antoine Griezmann and Diego Simeone speak before crucial Champions League match

Antoine Griezmann, Atlético forward, ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg against Arsenal on Tuesday night (9:00 pm): “Whether I score or not, I prefer to make a pass or win a match than to score a goal. And I think as the match approaches, I am calmer, more relaxed. Before, I used to live with a lot of stress, I played the games 50 times in my head before the first second, and now I am calmer and more relaxed, knowing what I can do and focusing only on that.”

“I visualize tomorrow’s match (Tuesday), what the coach and my teammates will need, to arrive and know exactly what I have to do. And as I said before, I’m not the type to wonder if it’s my last or second-to-last match, but to be mentally well, fresh in my head and in my legs. And I want to play it because I have a lot of desire and joy to give.”

Diego Simeone, Atlético coach: “We will approach this match with the intensity and intelligence it demands. We rely on the quality of our players to raise the collective level, and we have real confidence in our work. We know what we want to do and how to achieve it. Then, of course, the result will not depend solely on us, but we must apply our plan to the end. Regarding Julian Alvarez, he knows the Premier League perfectly well and was very good last week (against Arsenal). We hope he will respond again in a match of this level.”