Simeone: Nothing bad happened with Jimenez, quite the opposite

Diego Simeone spoke ahead of Atletico's visit to Benfica on Tuesday, in which top spot in Group C is up for grabs.
On the earlier meeting between the sides, which Benfica won 2-1 at the Calderon: "There are no secrets in football; what happens out on the pitch tells you everything you need to know. Benfica played well on our patch and took their chances. They've got some top players in attack".

How to get the better of the Eagles: "We have to put in a consummate performance and impose our game on them. Gaitan is a match-winner and we're always mindful of players like him. I'm also a fan of Renato in the middle of the park. Benfica always bring through exciting young players".

On Raul Jimenez, who is impressing at Benfica after a disappointing year at the Calderon: "Nothing bad happened with Raul Jimenez, quite the opposite. We're really fond of him as a person and believe there's a great player there. He had to compete with Torres, Mandzukic, Griezmann and Raul Garcia. I'm not surprised he's scoring goals and we're happy for him because he left us with good memories".

The ingredients for success: "The foundations of our work and the essence are always the same. It's just another game in which the team will try to show their strength".

Topping the group: "In my opinion topping the group is always good, although it doesn't guarantee anything whatsoever for the next round. We always take it one match at a time and this one offers the chance to finish top of the group. We're always aiming as high as possible".