"Simeone has led Atletico to play against the greats of Europe"

 Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said on Tuesday that Diego Simeone has done "phenomenal" in the red and white team, which is "a reference for many teams", and noted that his "art of defending" has always been talked about but he has "evolved a lot in attack".

"Simeone has managed to take Atletico to play against the big teams in Europe. He has done it phenomenally, with great consistency over so many years. He is a reference for many teams. We will test him to see if he has an advantage playing here in this stadium in the first leg.

"We want to leave here with a good result. Next Tuesday we play on our home pitch. We want to give our best. It's our great hope," he said at the Civitas Metropolitano stadium, the venue for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.

"Atletico are often talked about as the art of defending, but, if you analyse, they are one of the teams that have scored the most goals in this Champions League, behind only Manchester City, and they have evolved a lot, with many alternatives and options in attack. We can't make too many mistakes. We have to be very careful to keep our order, because they will want to impose their style and rhythm," he claimed.

"We have always talked about them about the way they defend. And it's nothing negative. We have spoken in a very positive way. We haven't played against each other in recent years. I really emphasise the way they deal with duels. They do it very well. We are preparing since our last game in the Bundesliga for these 180 minutes," he said.

"This stadium is not easy for any team in the world, but I trust in the intensity we have shown in the last few weeks and the last few games. It's going to be a test," said the coach, who considered it "a very nice compliment" that Simeone had singled out Dortmund as the team with the most intensity of the eight teams in the Champions League quarter-finals.