Cholo's only concern surrounds Mandzukic's right ankle

Two days before the duel at the Bernabéu, the only concern for Simeone is the right ankle of Mario Mandzukic. The Atleti coaching staff decided it was best not to risk the Croatian at the Riazor in order to get him ready for the Battle of Chamartín. The player has no intention of missing it. Yesterday, on a free day for the squad, he worked for two hours at the training ground alongside the physios. Also in attendance were Tiago and Mario. The Portuguese player suffered some muscle discomfort but there are few concerns over his availability, while Mario will miss out through suspension. If Mandzukic is not ready Torres is the most logical solution, although Raúl García could also be considered.

After the match at the Riazor, Simeone was asked in the press conference whether he could go with one striker against Madrid. The coach did not reveal anything but he is not one to give away yards and has enjoyed good results with two strikers pushing forward. The errors from Pepe and Ramos came about this way in the cup. In midfield, the absence of Mario will be covered by Tiago. Simeone took the Portuguese player out of the first leg since he was also a booking away from a suspension. The wingers should be Koke and Arda. The Turk has a break of half-an-hour against Depor. Simeone did not know about the injuries to Bale and Modric until later on Saturday night and that could also change his approach.

The left hand side. Siqueira has started in six of the seven matches against Madrid and produced good performances. In theory, he provides more output from the left than Gámaz. But the Fuengirola full-back provides added threat with his throw-ins, launched by hand, a weapon that Deportivo suffered against on Saturday.

The intention of the Atleti coach is that the team manages the second leg like they did at Stamford Bridge last season. Chelsea were not able to score at the Calderón, where they also suffered injuries to Cech and Terry. Only the centre-back could play in the return leg. Atlético moved around the pitch with assurance and even a Chelsea goal could not disrupt their plans. Torres fired the Premier League club ahead but Atleti did not flinch. They kept the security of how much an away goal was worth and they got their goal through Adrían shortly after the break. The rest is Atletic history, mostly great. Curiously, Simeone took more precautions for the first leg, where he played a lone striker in Costa. In London he also fielded Adrían and kept them both on the field until they went 2-1 ahead.

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