Tuesday, 8th April, 2014
Atletico Madrid won't take any risks with Diego Costa for the match against Barcelona in the Champions League tomorrow, manager Diego Simeone has insisted.
The striker has been impressive for Los Colchoneros this season, having scored 25 goals in 30 league matches so far.
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That is why his presence will be crucial for the Spanish league leaders as they try to secure their place in the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
However, the man in charge at Vicente Calderon confirms that his side will not take any risks with the striker's fitness in spite of the crunch nature of the game.
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"Costa is to us what Cristiano [Ronaldo] is to Madrid or [Lionel] Messi to Barcelona but I don't know what percent he's at for a return", Simeone was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"A player is only useful if he's a minimum 90 percent [fit].
"A player who is 50 per cent is of no use to us."
The 25-year-old picked up a hamstring injury during the match at the Camp Nou and was forced to limp off in the first half to be replaced by team-mate Diego.
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