Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke Resurrección has made a bold claim ahead of his side’s Champions League Round of 16 second leg with Chelsea.
Chelsea beat La Liga leaders Atletico in the first leg on Tuesday night after Olivier Giroud scored an excellent bicycle kick with just over 20 minutes left on the clock.
The two teams must now wait three weeks to complete the tie, facing off in the second leg on March 17 when Chelsea will attempt to defend, or indeed add to, their away goal from Bucharest.
But the Blues should not get carried away, according to Atletico captain Koke, who is optimistic about his side’s chances in west London next month, despite their one-goal deficit.
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“It was a play that had no danger and we have conceded a great goal,” he told Movistar+. “In this competition, you have to take the maximum care of details.
“We are still in the same position, we are top in the league, in the Champions League Round of 16 and we are going to win there.”
Koke added: “It’s difficult but we usually bounce back and we are going to. We are the same ones that came into the eight game winning streak, competing well.
“You cannot win all the games and we leave a bad week, that’s the reality, but we have to compete, to continue reaching. Atletico always bounces back.”
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Atletico keeper Jan Oblak was just as upbeat about his side despite their recent slump which has seen them fail to win any of their last three games across all competitions, conceding in each of their last eight.
“The plan is always to defend well. Equally, the formation, it’s always important to defend well,” he said of the Chelsea defeat.
“We wanted to score, we haven’t had many chances, but we have been there. We would like to have peace of mind and things will be better.
“I don’t think that we had a bad game, we have had a normal game, you don’t have to reproach anything or anyone.
“When I went back to the changing room, I saw a team with their heads held high, all convinced that we are going to improve, that we are going to play well first in La Liga and to have the possibility to come back in the second leg.”