Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone says his team will not lack for motivation or focus in Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second leg at home to Bayer Leverkusen, despite going into the game 4-2 up from the first game and being widely expected to easily progress.
Atletico came out well on top after a ding-dong first leg in Leverkusen, and the woefully out of form Bundesliga outfit have since sacked coach Roger Schmidt and named former Hannover and Kaiserslautern boss Tayfun Korkut as his replacement until the end of the season.
However the Colchoneros coach told his prematch news conference that whatever the situation, his side only knew one way of playing the game -- to start with intensity and go out to win.
"I always interpret the games in just one way," Simeone said. "It does not matter what the competition is. We must value the shirt we put on. From there, whether in the Copa del Rey, a friendly or the Champions League final, we always play with the same intention. That will not change tomorrow.
"We always want the team to show up, and the crowd to get the atmosphere going. Being among Europe's top eight gives you the motivation, not the coach, it should come from inside."
Atletico left-back Filipe Luis and midfielder Gabi are both suspended after late bookings with their team 4-2 up in the first leg, while forward Kevin Gameiro is still unavailable due to an abdominal complaint.
In better news for Atletico, striker Fernando Torres returns to the squad just under two weeks after suffering a concussion and spending a night in hospital in Atleti's La Liga match against Deportivo La Coruna, while defender Stefan Savic is available but will play with a facial mask to protect bones fractured in his nose in last weekend's 1-0 win at Granada.
Amid all the uncertainty over who would play, Simeone was not keen to give away his starting XI for Wednesday's game.
"With the characteristics of the players we have in the team, and looking for the best alternatives to do them damage," Simeone said. "We have trained in a certain way, and tomorrow you will see who starts the game."
Asked if Barcelona's historic comeback from 0-4 down against Paris Saint-Germain in last week's last-16 game at the Camp Nou was a lesson to his team not to be complacent, Simeone preferred to focus on how Bayer's players had caused his defence problems in their first leg.
"We are against an opponent who will be dangerous," he said. "They have fast players in attack, and are dangerous on the break. I expect a similar game to the first leg.
"Not just after Barca [comeback], I say this always. We must be on guard, start the game strong, and bring the game to where we feel best."