Diego Simeone: No Extra Pressure on Atletico Before Arsenal UCL Clash

Diego Simeone says Atletico face no extra Champions League pressure

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone says Champions League semi vs Arsenal is responsibility not burden. Atletico seek first UCL title. Atletico lost UCL finals in 1974, 2014, 2016. Simeone says club has responsibility to win as they face Arsenal.

“There's no pressure, there's a sense of responsibility, and there's a special sense of anticipation...”

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has brushed off suggestions of added pressure to win their first Champions League title, calling it a responsibility not a burden as they get set to host Arsenal in Wednesday’s semi-final first leg.

Atletico have made three European Cup finals in their history two under Simeone’s nearly 15-year reign - but have never won the continent’s top prize. They are the only team to lose three finals without winning the competition.

This season has brought little domestic joy, with the club fourth in LaLiga, 25 points behind leaders Barcelona and effectively out of the title race since January.

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— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) April 28, 2026

A penalty-shootout loss to Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final less than two weeks ago leaves the Champions League as Atletico’s only remaining chance at silverware this season, and they risk going five straight seasons without a trophy.

But Simeone wasn’t interested in revisiting past failures after final defeats to Bayern Munich in 1974 and Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016 in Europe’s elite club competition.

“There's no pressure, there's a sense of responsibility, and there's a special sense of anticipation,” he told a press conference on Tuesday.

“At the end of the day, it's a ⁠football match and the players are the ones who decide the outcome. We have to prepare well. We want to play the game we've envisaged and take the match to a stage where we can cause Arsenal problems.”

When asked if the competition owed Atletico something after three final defeats, Simeone said: “We're all human. If you ask us, everyone has a different opinion. But a competition doesn't owe anyone anything.”

“Things have to be earned and achieved. You have to work hard, go out and get them and hope Lady Luck is on your side.”

The Argentine highlighted Atletico’s approach in recent knockout ties as their biggest strength.

“What we've been doing in the knockout stages, whether in the (Spanish) Cup or the Champions League ... Playing with intensity, with our style of play, with our attacking initiative. That's how we'll go ‌about it,” he said.

For a club chasing a first Champions League crown, dreaming is tempting but Simeone prefers action over daydreams.

“Dreaming is ‌all well and good, but reality is what happens on the ground. Reality is what we do and what God wills. That's how we behave,” he said.

“We're in another semi-final. It's extraordinary to reach it for the fourth time in 14 years. It's incredible.

“That faith, that excitement, that ⁠infectious spirit will do us a ⁠world of good. We're facing ‌a tough match but we're going there full of hope.”