"Atlético are like Saachi's Milan or Benítez's Liverpool"

Atmosphere in Mestalla: “I hope the atmosphere will be the same as it has been at every game. Against Madrid and Barcelona it was amazing. When we played Espanyol and were a goal down, it was also fantastic; the crowd gave us a huge lift.”

Will there be many changes? “I haven’t told the player the starting 11, we have various options. Enzo is fit. That gives us a choice of six midfielders. I’ll decide tomorrow which three midfielders will play although there won’t be any major changes. We’re very happy with the Málaga win and the midfield had a lot to do with that.”

Contract renewal: “That’s not true, not at all. It’s not the moment to talk about that and we haven’t talked about it. The Daily Mirror is an important paper and the journalist who wrote that is respected, but I don’t know where they got it from. It’s completely made up. In the first week of April it will be a better time to talk about it.”

Favourites: “I haven’t seen the odds. Atlético have been a great side these last two or three seasons so maybe they are the favourites. I don’t know. They will be preparing themselves for a difficult game. What we have to do is replicate the last half hour against Málaga. Atlético put you under a lot of pressure but we are at home with an amazing set of fans.”

Will you let Atlético have the ball? “It’s one way of interpreting the game. It’s a possibility. I’ve watched Atlético a lot, in the Champions League, here… I know this team very well. Giving them the ball can cause them problems. But if I do that what will you lot say? It’s an option, we’ll see what we do about tactics.”

Simeone: “He has done a phenomenal job in the last three or four years. He has a very tough playing style. And Simeone has managed to get his players to reflect his spirit. I’m new to this, I’m starting out. He has achieved amazing things. He deserves a lot of credit, as do the players… but he is one of the main aspects. I was in Lisbon, they were very unlucky there.”

Atlético: “Whenever you watch Atlético you know it’s going to be a battle. This is a big challenge, you know what you’re up against. They are compact. Aggressive, when they get the ball they play very quickly, and they have a very solid defence. That said, they are not a new side. It’s not a new way of playing but it has brought them a lot of success. They are like Sacchi’s Milan or Rafa Benítez’s Liverpool. When everybody knows what they’re doing and have the same spirit, it makes for a good team. Atlético want to make you play in a certain way, but we’re not going to fall into that trap.”