Diego Simeone, the head coach of Atlético Madrid, confirmed his team's readiness to face Barcelona in La Liga, which marks the first of three encounters the two teams will have over ten days. He emphasized the players' preparedness and the importance of competing with high spirits.

Simeone said about the condition of the injured players: "Everyone is improving in the best way. Jan is with the group, Mendoza will be ready on Monday, Pablo is doing well, and so is Mark. They will all help us."

He continued about facing Barcelona: "Football relies primarily on the players, aside from the coaches' ideas. It is the players who decide these matches with their quality and leadership. Since their coach arrived, they have been performing excellently, with a high defense and a desire to win matches. We have been playing according to our characteristics for 14 years and will continue to work to compete."

Regarding the importance of the match for the Champions League, he added: "No, it is no different from any other match; all matches are equal."

Regarding the team's morale, Simeone explained: "Good, with the same enthusiasm since the start of the season. We began preparations eager to reach this point, and God willing, we will be able to compete until the end, which is what we are working towards."

Regarding the recent incident in Cornella, he added: "It is a social and global issue, not just a Spanish problem, nor does it concern Argentina or Brazil. The respect that existed years ago, with parents, teachers, police, the club manager, and the coach, we have lost today. We all need to work with awareness and faith in God, because the path to improvement lies in faith and belief."

Regarding the biggest threat from Barcelona, Simeone explained: "All their players are exceptional. They have the ability to play in the opponent's areas and slow down the pace to make you think slowly. They do this in every match, which is very difficult. They play with a high defense and take risks. We have to direct the game towards areas where we can harm them."