Simeone is thrilled that Atletico will face Barca in the quarter-finals.

The Argentinian coach understands the strength of his opponent, but he still appreciates the opportunity his team has to compete against the world's number one club in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Barca and Atletico previously faced each other in the quarter-finals of the 2013-2014 season, when Diego Simeone's team went on to the final (where they lost to Real). However, in their last six encounters, Barca have won every time, with Lionel Messi scoring five goals.

The Argentinian superstar has scored a total of 25 goals in 27 encounters against Atletico, including three hat-tricks. The Catalan club's current form is also very high, with the MSN attacking trio shining brightly.

Having lost all six of his most recent encounters with Barcelona under Luis Enrique, Simeone's failure to do so motivates him as he heads into the upcoming two quarter-final matches. Photo: EFE.

However,Diego Simeone feels Atletico Madrid will have extra motivation to fight when their quarter-final opponent is Barcelona..

The 45-year-old coach stated: “Barca are our main rivals; they are the strongest team in the world right now. But I am really excited about this draw. What better motivation could there be for us than to play against the best club in the world today?”

In their encounter two seasons ago, also in the Champions League quarter-finals, Atletico won 2-1 on aggregate.

But Simeone understands that Barca is now very different: “They are a different team, with increased strength thanks to more squad options. They handle set pieces better than before, and counter-attack better. Besides Messi, they now have Neymar and Suarez, along with a higher quality bench.”

In La Liga right now, Barca are comfortably leading with eight points more than Atletico.

According to VNE