Past counts for nothing in Champions League quarterfinal, Simeone says

Atletico Madrid coach, Diego Simeone doesn't expect anything that has happened in the past to have any relevance on the Champions League quarterfinal, which sees his side face city rivals Real Madrid for the seventh time this season.

Atletico lost last season's Champions League final 4-1 after extra time to Real Madrid, but have had their revenge this season, defeating them in the Spanish Supercup, knocking them out of the King's Cup and beating them twice in the league, including a 4-0 thrashing in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Simeone said nothing that had happened before, either this season or last season mattered on Tuesday night.

"This is a different game, it's a new tie and there are players who have not played before, especially last May," he said.

"A quarterfinal is not the same as the league nor a Champions League final, but there is a great game lying ahead with a lot of intensity," insisted the Atletico coach, who admitted both sides have contrasting styles.

"We are different sides, each has their own quality and personality due to the characteristics of their players... Real Madrid have players of great technical quality," said Simeone, who admitted he admired the technical quality of the Real players.

Simeone was asked whether he would have chosen to play Real Madrid if he had the choice and replied it was difficult to say because at times the sides you most want to face turn out to be more difficult than expected. "They are the side we have to face," he said.

The Atletico coach also said that the Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti was an excellent coach who always stayed true to his principals.

Earlier in the day Ancelotti had rejected claims his side were obsessed with Atletico after failing to beat them in six games this season.

Ancelotti described Atletico as a hard-working side who "never give up", but said he was not going to change his system for a tie he described as balanced "50-50". Endi