RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose on Wednesday underlined the "big challenge" his side face when they visit Atletico Madrid in the Champions League opener, remarked that his side have to trust in their quality and said Arthur Vermeeren wants to show what a good footballer he is at the Metropolitano.

"A stadium with a great atmosphere, very emotional, their coach too. They are a strong team individually, tactically good, they have always defended well, but they also play the ball well, with different systems of play. It's a Champions League game, we're looking forward to it, seeing the quality of the opposition and competing at the highest level. It's a great challenge," said the coach during the press conference at the Metropolitano.

"We have confidence in ourselves in this new Champions League format. We all hope for a good start on Thursday. We have to trust in our form, in our quality, which is always important in the Champions League. We have to be brave. We have to look at ourselves and solve the circumstances that come our way in the match. A great atmosphere awaits us, an opponent that has always defended very well, very organised," he declared. At the same time, he insisted that they will have to be patient and move the ball well.

"We can't miss passes in dangerous areas. We must also keep an eye on their quality, with Julian Alvarez, Griezmann, with the speed of Lino on the left... We want to score points. We know we need a superior performance to do that," said the coach.

RB Leizpig have Arthur Vermeeren on loan from Atletico Madrid, where he spent the last six months of last season.

"He has told us only good things about the club, even if he has only played a few games. He is a very young player, who wants to take responsibility. He would like to show here how good a footballer he is. We'll see when, how and where he can do it, but he's looking forward to meeting the stadium and the fans again. He also feels quite comfortable with us now," explained the RB Leipzig coach.

"He played here and I asked him a few questions, but there was nothing surprising. It's the same as you see in the analysis we did of the games against Villarreal, Girona, Espanyol and Valencia. It's clear what Atletico and their coach stands for. He's a great coach," said Rose, who confirmed that the Belgian midfielder will be able to play in the game as there is no clause in his loan deal until the end of the season that prevents him from doing so.

September 18, 2024

A. Vermeeren

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