Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 8y

Atletico Madrid have shown strength in Champions League - Villaverde

Atletico Madrid will aim to keep upsetting the odds in their Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich, according to club spokesperson Clemente Villaverde.

Atletico made the last four thanks to Wednesday evening's 2-0 victory over Barcelona, which saw the holders eliminated 3-2 on aggregate.

In their fifth ever European Cup semifinal, Diego Simeone's side now face Bayern in a chance for revenge for Atletico's last-gasp loss in the 1974 European Cup final.

Speaking after Wednesday's win over Barca, Simeone talked of how his team had upset the highly fancied Catalans with hard work, and Atletico official Villaverde echoed that message on beIN Sports from the UEFA draw centre in Nyon.

"It is a privilege to represent Atletico and their fans, with the chance to play a semifinal against a club as big as Bayern Munich," Villaverde said. "Atletico Madrid have shown we are strong enough to go into this series of games, and we will keep showing the same strength we have shown all season.

"We have a team which represent the values of our fans, and can express what they are feeling, as they must in every moment out on the pitch."

The first leg will be played at Atletico's Vicente Calderon on Wednesday, April 27, with the return in Munich on Tuesday, May 3 and the winners going through to face either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the final in Milan on May 28.

Asked if playing the second leg away from home was a disadvantage for his side, Villaverde said it all depended on how the tie unfolded over the 180 minutes.

"You never know, in these two games, it has been shown that circumstances can change during the games," he said. "You have to play each game fully focused, as if it were a final. We must be capable of sticking to what we have been doing until now."

Villaverde added that he would not be against a repeat of the 2014 final, when Atletico lost out in heart breaking fashion to neighbours Real Madrid after extra time.

"Both semis are very balanced," he said. "These four teams reaching the semifinals means they have shown through the season they are capable of being here. The two semis are both very open. It is good for Spanish football to be able to enjoy them, and also maybe to repeat an all-Spanish final."

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