“Practically life or death” – Midfielder taking Chelsea challenge very seriously

Chelsea face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, and the Spanish side haven’t had the best week in preparation.

Having a good season and currently top of La Liga, things have wobbled a bit in recent days. Midweek saw Diego Simeone’s side draw with Levante and they then lost to the same club at the weekend.

The Spanish media believe Atletico are being hit by several issues. They’ve had more than their fair share of Covid problems in recent months and that’s seen extra pressure on the players who have been available, leading to overloading concerns.

Beating Chelsea will see a lot of the worry lift, however, it’s certainly not going to be easy against Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Atletico’s captain Koke has been speaking ahead of the Champions League match, and it’s clear the midfielder is taking the challenge very seriously indeed.

AS quote him as saying: “We are really looking forward to starting this competition again. We have not played since December and we know that it is going to be a very difficult tie, it is practically life or death. Above all, the first game is fundamental, we supposedly play it at home. We have to play a great game to get the second leg back on track.”

Due to Spanish Covid regulations barring Chelsea from travelling to the country, the match will be played in Romania. There’s good memories for Atletico in the country, given they won the Europa League in Bucharest, and Koke is looking forward to going there again: “You don’t have to look for any excuse. We’ve played in Bucharest, it brings us good memories. It was my first title with Atletico Madrid. We are very excited to be able to play a good game and win it.”