Sep 20 (Askume) – Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said the new Champions League format requires teams to work harder to win. His side on ThursdayThe comments came after beating Red Bull Leipzig 2-1.
Europe’s top leagues have moved from a group stage to a league stage , with 36 teams playing 8 games each, with the top 8 teams in the standings advancing directly to the next round, while the next 16 teams will enter a two-round play-off . . .
“This format forces us to win. A draw today means nothing… if we don’t win, we have to gain something from it,” Simeone said after a 2-1 home win earlier in the game.
“I am completely satisfied, it was a great game. If it was a draw I would say the same thing. We played in different ways and with different players.”
“The players understood it well and we won an important game… that’s exactly what we thought. We controlled 80 per cent of the game.”
Atletico Madrid, which is unbeaten in all competitions this season, visits Benfica in Portugal for its next Champions League match on October 2.
“It’s going to be another battle,” Simon said.
