[ad_1]
Real Madrid will face Atletico Madrid in a tight match against La Liga, both clubs contending for the title in Barcelona.
The season has been tricky for the Blancos but they seem finally to have progressed under the orders of Santiago Solari, winning all their matches except one since their 1-0 defeat against the Legates on January 16th.
Courtois should start for Real Madrid in goals and, given his past at Atletico, he can look forward to a difficult reception.
The Belgian international has been on loan for three years alongside Simeone to help him win the league title in 2014.
And his former manager is still evaluating it, despite the difficulty of the shooter to settle since his move from Chelsea this summer.
"I can not put myself in the place of the people," he said.
"He is an excellent goalkeeper.
"When he was here, he was very successful."
Simeone also thinks that Atletico will play against Real in very good shape.
The Argentinian saw his team collapse in a 1-0 defeat at Real Betis on Feb. 3.
But Simeone thinks Atletico will play better than it was a week ago.
"We're fine," he added.
"In previous matches, we were. With Betis, we lacked depth and verticality, we hope to have it tomorrow [on Saturday]. "
Courtois, meanwhile, has designated Vinicius Junior as Real's key player for the Atletico showdown.
"It reminds me of someone – Eden Hazard," Courtois said.
"He has so much self-confidence and conviction at his age, and he plays with boldness and fear, so they are very similar.
"This win (on Alaves) is important because they defend themselves well and are tough opponents. We are so happy.
"We are now in a good shape but we are happy to be in a winning race; we have won every game since Real Sociedad and even then we deserved to win.
"Now there is a series of important games … the Copa, the match against Atletico and the Champions League."
Source link
