Atlético seek their seventh semi-final in the first continental club competition, the fourth with Simeone on the rojiblanco bench. Getting into the top four clubs on the continent would be a great success for Cholo. To eliminate Leipzig, the Argentine coach will have put Atlético more times in the semifinals than in all previous years. Simeone has given the rojiblanco club a European pedigree that it lacked before. Although the Atlético coach He does not trust his rival and knows that he will make it very difficult.
The first time that the Madrid team played a semifinal was in the season 1958-59. They eliminated Schalke 04 in the quarter-finals and faced their capital rival in the next round. Madrid reached the final by winning a third tiebreaker match. It took several years for the same to happen. It was in the campaign 1970-71 and Atlético eliminated Legia Warsaw in the quarterfinals. He faced Ajax in the semifinals and also fell. It was the great Dutch team of Cruyff and company.
It didn't take long for Atlético to reach another semifinal. It was in the campaign 1973-74. The rojiblancos they left Red Star out in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals he eliminated Celtic Scotsman, in one of Atlético's historic qualifiers. He played the final against Bayern.
The rojiblanco club had to wait for the arrival of Cholo to return to the final rounds of the Champions League. In 2013-14 the athletic eliminated Barcelona in the quarterfinals and played the semifinal against Chelsea. He beat the English team and played in the Lisbon final against Real Madrid.
Two years later Simeone's men reached another Champions League semi-final. They beat Barcelona in the quarterfinals and beat Bayern before the grand final, in what was revenge for what happened on May 15, 1974.
In exercise 2016-17 Atlético played the semifinal again. He eliminated English Leicester in the quarterfinals. And in the last round he fell to Real Madrid. Benzema saved the Madrid team when Atlético believed in the comeback.