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12.09.2022Werkself-TV

Seoane ahead of #B04Atléti: ‘Remain patient and take chances'

The Werkself play Atlético Madrid tomorrow Tuesday 13 September (kick-off: 21.00 CEST) in the second Champions League match in Group B. After the team under head coach Gerardo Seoane completed a final pre-match training session at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium on Monday morning, the Swiss coach and defender Piero Hincapie were at the press conference where they fielded questions including on the current situation and the strengths of the opponents.

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"Atlético are one of the top sides in Europe and the best team in the group without denigrating the other clubs. They have developed impressively in recent years and achieved incredible success on the national and European stages," said Gerardo Seoane in describing the forthcoming opponents who were able to beat the Portuguese champions Porto in a 2-1 win in the opening group match.

Seoane: "Atlético always pose a threat"

The Madrid side are difficult to play against and they arrive with a "very complete squad," said the Swiss coach. And he added: "Atlético have two high-quality players for every position." Therefore training this week not only focused on the starting eleven but also on players coming off the bench. Seoane praised the high quality of the attack as well as the compact and aggressive defending of the team led by Atlético head coach Diego Simeone. He believes the Spaniards "always pose a threat."

In contrast to the 1-0 defeat at Club Brugge and the 2-2 draw at Hertha Berlin there will be a need to "be more resolute in both penalty areas," said Seoane. In addition to more consistency in attack there was also the requirement for resolute challenges in defence. The Swiss coach primarily sees two points as crucial: "They will try to involve us in lots of challenges as that's part of their style of play. So we have to remain patient and make use of the few chances that will come to us." Above all, that needs a fast passing game and the ability to switch sides to "bring the attacking players into the right positions," declared the 43-year-old boss.

Hincapie: "get through it together"

Defender Piero Hincapie showed he is also highly motivated ahead of his first Champions League match on home turf: "We want to produce a great game for our fans. The Champions League presents us with extra motivation and we want to show that on the pitch." Hincapie added: "We are going through a difficult time at the moment as a team and as a club. But we’re working on it together every day and we've prepared well."

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The Ecuadorian was also clear about the current atmosphere in the dressing room: "We deal openly with criticism as a team, directly address lots of points as we want to help each other improve and support each other. Of course, we are concerned about it. But that doesn't mean the atmosphere amongst us is bad. We stand together."

Palacios misses Atlético game

In addition to long-term injuries Florian Wirtz, Amine Adli, Karim Bellarabi and Andrey Lunev, Seoane will have to manage without midfielder Exequiel Palacios. The Argentinian suffered an injury to his left thigh in the last match in Berlin.

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