‘I don’t know’ if Diego Costa will play for Atletico v Barca, says Simeone after injury scare

Atletico Madrid suffered a scare on the eve of the Champions League quarter-final first leg versus Barcelona as Diego Costa hobbled off during their training session on Monday night and is rated as doubtful by manager Diego Simeone.

“I don’t know (if he will play tomorrow), first we have to talk with the doctor to see what condition he is in and then we will take a decision,” he told Television Espanola.

“In theory, leaving the training session today, I think it will be difficult for tomorrow.”

Losing Costa would be a huge blow as their 25-year-old top scorer has been in great form of late, scoring six times in five games as Atletico have moved back to the top of La Liga and progressed to the last eight of the Champions League for the first time in 17 years.

Atletico Madrid midfielder Tiago Mendes has compared his side’s ability to compete with the far richer Barcelona and Real Madrid this season to the tale of Robin Hood.

Diego Simeone’s men have overcome the odds despite having an annual budget of almost 400 million euros (Dh2bn) less than Barca and Real and Tiago believes people in crisis-hit Spain can associate with the hard work that has taken Atletico to the top.

“I think that we have our own identity. It is very easy for people to identify with us, also because in society we are living through a period of crisis and we are fighting in the Champions League with a much lower budget,” he said.

“That is where the similarity between Robin Hood and our team comes from.”

Atletico have already faced Barca three times this season, twice in the Spanish Supercup and once in La Liga at the Vicente Calderon back in January.

All three encounters ended in draws, however four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi’s involvement in two of those games was limited by injury and Simeone is expecting to face a much stronger Barca side at the Camp Nou this time around.

“Tomorrow will be the most difficult for sure. In the first game in the Supercup we played at home and then they weren’t as strong as they are now.

“In the game in La Liga (Lionel) Messi also wasn’t at 100 per cent. We are going to compete against the best Barcelona side we have faced this season.

“Tomorrow Barcelona will want to finish the tie off and we need to stop them in whatever way we can.”

Since making his return from two months out due to a hamstring injury just before the latest clash at the Calderon, Messi has hit top form, scoring nine times in his last five games in all competitions.

Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino, meanwhile, believes his side must match Atletico Madrid’s high-energy style when the two sides meet.

He says Barca must neutralise Atletico’s intensity to allow their superior technical ability to take control.

“I think we need to match Atletico’s intensity. Our strength is playing as Barcelona always do, but we need to cope with their intensity to be able to do that.”

With Barca’s possession game in mind, Martino is expected to name the same side that started their 4-3 win against Real Madrid nine days ago with the Spanish international quartet of Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas supporting Lionel Messi and Neymar in attack.

Xavi and Iniesta in particular have come into fine form in recent weeks in stark contrast to the tired state in which they ended last season as Barca were swept aside 7-0 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Martino has staunchly defended his rotation policy throughout the season to ensure there was no repeat of the fatigue suffered by the Catalan stars and feels vindicated by their performances in recent weeks.

“It is difficult for me to talk about Xavi because if I do it shows the rotations have worked and I did my job well, but it is true,” he joked.

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