Atletico targets Champions League final
Diego Simeone has insisted that Atletico Madrid's objective in this season's UEFA Champions League is to reach the showpiece final in Munich.
Simeone has guided Atletico to two UEFA Champions League finals during his time in charge but has failed to win the trophy, with both defeats coming against rival Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016.
Its best run in the competition since its most recent appearance in the tournament's showpiece came in 2016-2017, when it was beaten in the semi-finals by Los Blancos.
Simeone's side faces Bundesliag defending champion Bayer Leverkusen in its penultimate game of the group phase, sitting 11th in the 36-team standings on 12 points from six games.
Atletico is just one point adrift of the top eight and know two victories from its remaining fixtures could see it automatically qualify for the knockout stages.
But it comes into the clash with Xabi Alonso's side on the back of a defeat to Leganes in LaLiga, ending its club-record 15 game winning run across all competitions.
Asked how important the game was in its push for the top eight, Simeone said: "We will compete with our goal in mind.
"The club has never won this [UEFA] Champions League, and our objective is to reach that final, which is so desired and cherished by us."
Leverkusen, meanwhile, is enjoying a winning streak of its own, emerging victorious in each of its past 11 encounters across all competitions.
Alonso's side is fourth on the UEFA Champions League standings having won each of its past two fixtures in the competition after being hammered 4-0 by Liverpool.
Leverkusen is the opponent that Simeone has faced most often in the UEFA Champions League – eight games, all with Atletico Madrid.
He has lost as many games as he has won against the German side in the competition, but has never squared off against Alonso.
The Leverkusen boss guided the Werkself to its first Bundesliga title last season, while also going undefeated, earning praise from Simeone ahead of kick-off.
"Xabi is doing an excellent job, as he showed last season, and he is on track to repeat it," Simeone said.
"He has a reference for how he saw football from the centre of the pitch, which is where it is best seen.
"He had great coaches [as a player]. We will have to take the game in a direction where we think we can do the damage on Tuesday [Wednesday AEDT]."
