PSV Eindhoven midfielder Andres Guardado says that Atletico Madrid are one of the most feared and respected teams in Europe.
Dutch champions PSV travel to Atletico's Estadio Vicente Calderon on Wednesday in the Champions League, having already been beaten 1-0 in their first Group D encounter this season, and having been eliminated by Diego Simeone's side on penalties in the round of 16 of last term's competition.
Atletico went on to beat Barcelona and Bayern Munich on the way to losing out in last May's final to neighbours Real Madrid -- a repeat outcome of the 2014 Champions League final.
"They are one of the most respected teams in Europe, they are even feared," Mexico international Guardado said in Marca. "The big clubs do not want to play against Atletico. They make the games seem very long. You need to put in a huge effort and sacrifice to match their intensity. And you must try and damage one of the best defences in the world."
Atletico have won all four Champions League games so far this season, including a 1-0 win at home to Bayern in September, without conceding even once.
However, they have lost three of their last four in La Liga, with last weekend's 3-0 derbi loss against Madrid at the Calderon being especially painful.
Much of the analysis of the Madrid defeat has centred on Atletico players' views on Simeone's attempt to tweak the team's style of play this season, with some local outlets claiming club captain Gabi was angry to be replaced by attacker Angel Correa when the game was still in the balance at 1-0.
Speaking to La Sexta, Atletico centre-forward Fernando Torres admitted that opinions could be exchanged amid the pain of losing, but everyone at the club was pulling in the same direction.
"There can be internal debates as we want to win and it hurts us to lose," Torres said. "But there are no doubts, no debates. We know what we want, and we know the way to get it -- the block united, together, to know how to defend when we have to defend, and when we have the ball to do damage to the opponent."
Torres said that each season Simeone had made changes to how Atletico played, and it was important to have tactical flexibility if you wanted to succeed.
"You cannot play a style that does not suit your players," he said. "Since Simeone came he has changed Atletico's style. We must be ready for different roles depending on the game, but always counting on our base. We know what we have to do, and what we must do to achieve our objectives."
Much of the debate around Atletico's style this season has focused on Koke moving to a central-midfield role. Some 58 percent of respondents to an AS online poll have said they would prefer to see veteran midfielder Tiago back in the team, with Koke returning to a wide position.