'I'm not worried but we know they beat big teams to get there and we're going to take it seriously. It's not a surprise to see them here anymore. They deserve to be here.'
If this sporting clash was, as English essayist, novelist and journalist George Orwell said, "war minus the shooting" both sets of players were more than ready, and set about each other with little restraint.
Re-signed by Atletico, the Frenchman to stay at the club till 2026.
A summary of Wednesday's Champions League first leg quarter-finals between Barcelona and Dortmund and Real Madrid, and Paris St Germain and Aston Villa.
Robert Lewandowski smashed home a rebound to earn Barcelona a 2-1 win against Athletic Bilbao in an absorbing LaLiga clash on Saturday.
All the action from La Liga and Serie A matches played on Sunday.
Holders France failed to qualify for the final four of the Nations League when they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Croatia
Barcelona won their 27th LaLiga title and first for four years after a 4-2 win at city rivals Espanyol on Sunday.
Barcelona thrashed Real Betis 5-1 on Wednesday to book their spot in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.
Barcelona will look to take a big step towards their first La Liga title in four years, when they take on Real Madrid this weekend.
Barcelona's Joao Felix scored in the first half to secure a hard-fought 1-0 home win against his valiant parent club Atletico Madrid in a compelling LaLiga clash on Sunday.
A summary of Saturday's action in LaLiga, Bundesliga and Serie A.
Les Bleus, who face Poland in the last 16 on Sunday, underperformed at the Education City stadium and only after Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele came off the bench did they pose any threat.
Robert Lewandowski and substitute Pablo Torre each scored twice to help leaders Barcelona thrash visitors Sevilla 5-1 in LaLiga on Sunday in a confidence boost for Hansi Flick's side ahead of key clashes against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Second-placed Sevilla were held to a 1-1 draw by Barcelona, while Juventus registered a routine 2-0 win over struggling Cagliari.
France hoping Mbappe will be enough to match England's impressive depth
Two penalties from Cristiano Ronaldo helped holders Portugal squeeze into the last 16 of the European Championship after a 2-2 draw with France on Wednesday in a dramatic conclusion to Euro 2020 Group F.
IMAGES from the El Clasico match played at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on Sunday.
France's probable starting line-up for World Cup final
Images from the FIFA World Cup match between France and Poland on Sunday.
Croatian forward Ante Budimir scored twice to help Osasuna earn a shock 4-2 home win over leaders Barcelona.
Leverkusen's Schick scores hat-trick in comeback win over Heidenheim.
Unbeaten in six games, the draw leaves third-placed Sevilla on 51 points, four ahead of Real Sociedad and five ahead of both Getafe and Atletico Madrid, while Levante are 12th on 35 points.
IMAGES from the Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Bayern Munich stumbled to a 1-1 draw against visiting Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday to leave them with only a slim Bundesliga lead after being held for the third game in a row with the same scoreline.
English Premier League leaders Manchester City and Chelsea slugged out a magnificent 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge.
A round-up of Sunday's matches in LaLiga, Ligue 1 and Serie A
France defender Benjamin Pavard made a spectacular comeback to the team as his superb second-half strike saw them beat Ireland 1-0 away in Euro 2024 qualifying Group B match.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League
Everton's Abdoulaye Doucoure scored an extra-time winner as they edged Rotherham United 2-1 in an absorbing FA Cup
Leaders Barcelona played out a second straight 0-0 draw in LaLiga after mid-table Getafe battled for a home point in a hard-fought game on Sunday.
Sevilla clinched a sixth Europa League title with a roller-coaster 3-2 win over Inter Milan after an overhead kick by defender Diego Carlos deflected by the Italian side's top scorer Romelu Lukaku settled a thrilling contest on Friday.
Barcelona winger Raphinha secured a 1-0 win in LaLiga for the second straight week this time at Athletic Bilbao as his side tightened their grip on top spot.
Images from the Nations League football matches played on Thursday.
Roundup of Champions League matches played on Wednesday night
Karim Benzema scored twice in the final few minutes to give Real Madrid a 3-1 win at Espanyol, while Barcelona breezed past Real Valladolid with a comfortable 4-0 LaLiga victory.
Mihaila late show for Romania stuns Swiss in thrilling draw
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Having headed into the match tied on 47 league goals with West Ham's former stalwart Paolo Di Canio, Antonio was delighted to have surpassed the Italian as he celebrated by lifting a cardboard cut-out of himself at the side of the pitch.
RB Leipzig scored twice in the opening 13 minutes but had to survive a late comeback from Manchester United to cling on to a 3-2 win on Tuesday that sent them into the Champions League knockout stage and eliminated the English side.
