Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke 메이저사이트(31) shares his thoughts on the match.
Atletico Madrid (ATM) will play the first leg of the ‘Coupang Play Series’ at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 27th. A day before the match, both teams held their official press conferences.
Atletico, led by coach Diego Simeone, is one of Spain’s most prestigious teams alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid. They have won 11 La Liga titles and 10 Copa del Rey titles. The team went through a dark period, but since Simeone’s arrival in the 2010s, they have regained their former glory.
Atletico arrived at Incheon International Airport on Friday. French superstar Antoine Griezmann and other key players such as João Felix, Koke, and Jan Oblak were all present.
Coach Simeone and captain Koke attended the press conference.
Koke said: “From the first day of arrival, both myself and the club are grateful for the Korean hospitality. Many fans came to the airport. We will try to repay them with a good game.”
Koke is an Atletico legend. He made his first-team debut in the 2009-10 season and has been with the club for more than 10 seasons. “Time is passing very quickly,” said the ‘one-club man’. I’ve done a lot of important things at Atletico. I will try to help the club grow a lot. The most important thing is that young players have respect for the game and have dreams.”
Atletico have been winless this season. “We didn’t win the title last season. We always aim to finish in the top four and qualify for the UEFA Champions League (UCL). It’s the same this season. The team always wants to win, and we will fight together to achieve that. The second half is always important, so we’ll try to keep a good flow,” he said of his plans for the season.
“We had a lot of injuries during the season and we brought in young players. We will start winning games from the preseason. The transfer market is not over yet, so I think we will strengthen further.”
[Koke-Diego Simeone. Photo = Getty Images Korea-Byungjin Choi].