"Real will have to work their socks off to beat us"

The Atlético coaching staff are convinced that they can give Real Madrid a run for their money.

Not so long ago Atlético would head out onto the pitch to play Real Madrid as the underdogs, but those days are now confined to the past. The 'Rojiblancos' went 14 years without winning a derby and it destroyed their morale.

However, that all ended with the Copa del Rey final at the Bernabéu. Since then, Atlético have stood up to Real and they have come out on top on several occasions. In fact, the last time was this season away in the league.

And so it is no surprise that the Atleti coaching staff no longer consider themselves Real's whipping boys but their equals. "Real will have to work their socks off to beat us", they confess in private.

They have no qualms about acknowledging the enormous talent of their rivals tomorrow, but they are also convinced that Real will have to sweat blood if they want to beat them. They are determined that the tie will not be a repeat of last year's Copa del Rey semi-final, when it was all over after the 3-0 defeat at the Bernabéu.

Nevertheless, the team based on the banks of the Manzanares are well aware of the tough schedule ahead of them - they visit Barça in the league between the two games against Real -, so we can expect rotations by Simeone to ensure his best players are fresh for the Nou Camp. There can be no doubt that Real Madrid and Barcelona pose two tough tests which will show what Atlético are made of.