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"Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone said his side will look to exploit FC Barcelona's weaknesses despite describing the Catalan giants as 'extraordinary' ahead of their crucial La Liga clash on Saturday. "Barca's greatest danger is everything. All their footballers are extraordinary. They have an ability to play in the opponent's half, taking away your time so you can't think, which is incredible," he said at a press conference in Madrid on Friday. "They repeat it game after game, which is very difficult to repeat. They play with a high defensive line, with the risks they take and they assume them. And well, we will take the game to where we think we can hurt them," he added. Footage shows Atletico players training at the club's training complex ahead of the match, with goalkeeper Jan Oblak returning to group sessions after injury. The Argentine coach emphasised that individual quality will ultimately decide the contest, noting that while tactics matter, it is the players who resolve matches of this level. "We started the preseason dreaming of reaching this place to be able to compete for the positions we want to reach, and God willing and helping us, we can compete as we have been doing. From here until the end. And well, we are on that path," he continued. Simeone also addressed racist acts during Thursday's friendly between the Spain national football team and the Egypt national football team in Barcelona, as some fans allegedly targeted Muslim players and supporters. "It’s social and global; it is no longer just from Spain, or Argentina, or Brazil, or anywhere specifically. It is social respect that was lost several years ago," he said. Catalan police have opened an investigation into some offensive chants from some fans. These chants reportedly included 'Whoever doesn't jump is a Muslim,' in addition to whistling during the playing of the Egyptian national anthem, as well as verbal abuse directed at the players."
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