Diego Pablo Simeone spoke at a press conference ahead of Atlético de Madrid vs Real Madrid.

"We’re used to the fact that the previous match has nothing to do with the city derby. I don’t see why our previous matches or theirs should have anything to do with this game."

"He’ll be with us. Then we’ll decide whether he starts or comes on during the match."

"The characteristics of the two teams are such that they have a more powerful transition than we do. Whenever they lose the ball, they look for that option with Mbappé and Vinicius. On our side, we’ll try not to give the ball away, which is what they’ve shown they do best."

"Taking myself back so many years... I can’t think of an answer to please your question. I have a lot of admiration for Mourinho. I admire him a lot. He knows the affection I have for him. Hopefully we compete the way we have when we’ve faced each other."

"It’s logical that his adaptation is gradual. In the Real Sociedad match he already took on responsibility, like taking the penalty and then providing an assist. He had a very good game the other day in every phase. We need to help him in the defensive phase and for him to raise his level of effort to balance all the talent he has. First help him, and then let him help us."

"I’m not someone who gives advice, I don’t think I’m in a position to give advice. But I can share experiences. The pressure is normal, as is the excitement a match like tomorrow’s creates, especially at the Metropolitano with our people. Calm, above all calm. Football is confidence. There’s one word, and that’s confidence. If you have confidence in what you do, it may go badly or well, but you’ll go to sleep with peace of mind."

"He’s a footballer I’m very fond of and he has a profile we don’t really have much of. He’s the most unbalancing one-on-one player in the box. We need him, whether it’s for 60 minutes, 90, or however long he’s on the pitch. His attacking potential did us a lot of good in December and although his start to the season isn’t what he would have wanted, he’ll show up because he has qualities that are different."