Diego Simeone spoke to the press ahead of his side’s trip to Mestalla on Sunday and discussed the opposition, his side and the possibility of making another signing to cover for the long-term absence of Augusto Fernández.

"Valencia will be confident"

“We don’t take any notice of what situation our opponents are in. I’m concentrating on whether the team is working well and how to avoid Valencia’s attacking speed, which could do us damage. The team worked well against Bayern Munich but in football you live day by day. We have to focus on the match against Valencia, get off to a strong start and concentrate. They have won two games in a row and that’s enough to give any team confidence.”

Full screen Sergio Barrenechea (EFE)

Godín fit

Simeone also sprung a surprise by stating that key central defender Diego Godín might be fit to play after picking up an ankle sprain in the match against Bayern. “We’re not working on the assumption that he won’t be available, we think he will be. He’s tough, he trained okay and I think he’ll be able to play.”

Augusto replacement

Speaking about Augusto, who is likely to miss the rest of the season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury, Simeone said the club was looking into the possibility of seeking Uefa’s permission to bring in a replacement. “I haven’t got any confirmation yet but if it comes, we’ll let everyone know.”