Atletico boss Simeone expects ‘tough’ Arsenal tie

Atletico Madrid manager, Diego Simeone believes ‘experienced’ Arsenal will be a hard nut to crack when both sides meet in the Europa League semi-final.

The Spanish side, who saw off Portugal’s Sporting 3-1 in the quarterfinals, were drawn against the Premier League giants, who defeated CSKA Moscow 6-3 over two legs, in the last four.

The Gunners have had a disappointing domestic campaign as they languish sixth in the English Premier League, and would hope to secure a Champions League spot by winning the Europa League.

“They are a rival with a lot of history in European competition,” Simeone told reporters, as cited by Marca.

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“Their current squad is experienced and they have a lot of quality players and a very important manager (Arsene Wenger) who has achieved a lot.

“It will be a tough tie for us but it was always going to be that way at this stage of the competition, which is attritional and tough to win.

“We must once again show our desire and try to fight for our victory, because this is the most important point of the season and we are hungry for trophies.”

Arsenal will host the first leg at the Emirates on Thursday, April 26 before travelling to Spain for the reverse fixture on May 3.

 

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