Coach of Atletico Madrid, Diego Pablo Simeone is expecting a warm reception when he leads his side out against Lazio in Thursday’s matchday of Europa League knock-out tie in Rome. The former Lazio player has fond memories of his time with the Biancoceleste, highlighting the moment when the fans cheered for him upon his return from a lengthy injury lay-off.
“There is a strong bond between the fans and me. I had four years at Lazio and one season (2001/02) I struggled with injury. I will never forget the moment I came back from my knee injury and how they welcomed me. It was just amazing,” Simeone was quoted as saying on UEFA.com. “It was a very emotional moment, comparable to becoming champions, and I am eternally grateful.”
However, the former Catania coach is also concentrating to gain a positive result in tonight match against Lazio. Yes, He had some good memories in Olimpico, but now He will come as an opponent's side.
“It will be a very hard tie because they are having a good season in both league and cup – knowing Lazio, going a long way in the Europa League will also be a target,” Simeone said. “Today they are a good team, their coach, Edy Reja has been there a while now and he is doing a good job. He knows the city and club. I hope we can repeat our success of 2010 and win but we know it’s becoming more and more difficult in the Europa League, because you have very strong teams involved.”
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