Los Rojiblancos fell to a 2-1 defeat away at Real in the first leg of the last 16 clash on Tuesday (04.03.25) but the coach is optimistic that his team can turn the tie around, although he will only begin to focus on the task after the La Liga game against Getafe on Sunday (09.03.25).

Simeone said: "We are alive and it may be that (next week) we will have a good night. I understand that we have our heads set first on Getafe. From Sunday night we will start thinking about the second leg."

The Atletico boss was happy with his team's performance in the derby game but expressed frustration at the nature of the goals his side conceded.

Simeone explained: "It was a very tactical match, we were trying to take each one through their different moments. They started better, they scored a great goal that we could solve better. The great merit of the team was not to give up, not to enter into that stage fright that generates conceding a goal so early. On the contrary, we started to play, to get into the game, to take control, to get into the opponent’s half. Julian (Alvarez's) goal came, the same pass that Lino could not push. Thus ended a first half that seemed well understood to me.

"We started the second one the same. Brahim (Diaz's) great play came that we could also solve better and that ended up tipping the balance. The counter-attack for them was there going around, with that work that Vini and Mbappe do very well, who go back to work. They have enormous potential for counter-attacks."