Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has targeted a fast start and scoring an away goal ahead of Wednesday's Copa del Rey quarterfinal first leg at Barcelona.
Atletico qualified for the last eight by having few troubles dispatching neighbours Real Madrid 4-2 on aggregate in the previous round, but in between those two legs were well beaten 3-1 at the Camp Nou in La Liga, with the Blaugrana attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez all getting on the scoresheet.
The Colchoneros coach told his pregame news conference that his team needed to show more intensity during the opening stages of their next meeting.
"We need to start the game better," Simeone said. "Our start there was not good, we did not play with the intensity and pressure we usually do. So against a rival like Barcelona, who did well above all in first 30 minutes, we had difficulties, of course. We will have to make some changes to play better than we did the other day."
Simeone said that key to doing well in the tie would be knowing how to attack Barcelona, suggesting he would quite like to worry the Catalans by scoring an away goal.
"The key will be in interpreting well how to attack, and where to attack," he said. "If we can bring the game to the place we want it, we will have a chance. Apart from that, recovering the ball, getting organised, and all these situations which are key when you play against a team with the individual characteristics of Barca. But we need to understand how to attack. That is where our chance will come from."
The Argentine praised the high-energy pressing of Barca's attacking players during the recent La Liga game, saying this change in their approach had been behind a recent upswing in results.
"We are up against the best Barcelona of these last times," he said. "They have had a change in their pressing. I value a lot how they have improved after losing the ball. That is key for them, they have many attacking players, and if they react quickly when they lose ball, the opponent has few chances to break."
Atletico were able to sit deep and soak up pressure during the two legs against Madrid, however such an approach would not work so well against Barca, Simeone suggested.
"The individual players of Barcelona and Real Madrid are enormous," he said. "[However] Madrid are more dangerous in open spaces, Barca in more tight areas. If you defend close to your own goal, you suffer against Barca, for how quickly they can combine and move the ball."
Simeone is expected to continue his policy of rotating for the competition, with reserve goalkeeper Jan Oblak set to be back between the posts despite a shaky display at the Bernabeu, and Raul Garcia and Jesus Gamez others who could start.
Fans' favourite Fernando Torres, a surprise hero with a double strike at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in the last-16 second leg, may drop to the bench with Antoine Griezmann coming back into the team.
Simeone also said he could not confirm reports that Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin was buying a 20 percent share in his club, while appearing to confirm that talks involving president Enrique Cerezo and chief executive Miguel Angel Marin were at an advanced stage.
"The truth is I do not have any official call to comment on this situation," he said. "It is being managed by Miguel, with Enrique, and for sure all they are looking for is to continue to have a better Atletico. And that is welcome."
The former Atletico player, who has at times been linked with other clubs to continue his coaching future elsewhere, said he was happy to remain at the Estadio Vicente Calderon as long as the situation continued to improve.
"The will to improve always exists, and Atletico has an enormous future, with a fantastic present, but with day to day growth on an institutional level, which us Atleticos always wanted," Simeone said. "I feel identified with this growth, and participate in all that is happening at the club."