Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago believes that Champions League runners-up Atletico Madrid are the best defensive side in the world. But despite the statement, the Spaniard believes that Bayern Munich can grasp a revenge of last year's semifinal loss at their hands when they face the Rojiblancos in tonight's fixture.
Atletico shocked the world by crashing out Thiago's former team Barcelona in the quarter-finals before kicking out German giants Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League last year, denying manager Pep Guardiola a chance at European glory with the Bavarians.
Thiago says Bayern have already learnt a lot after the semifinal heartbreak last season and is confident about bagging all the three points at the Vicente Calderon.
"I am really looking forward to the game. Atletico reached the final last year," Thiago said at a news conference.
"We know from playing them in the semi-finals how they play. We know their strengths and their weakness. We have to deploy all our weapons against them. They defend better than us, better than Barcelona, better than any other team in the world.
"We’re not thinking about revenge for last season, it is a different game. It's a group-stage game so it will be less emotional than a semi-final.
"It's important for us to win the away games, or at least take home as many points as possible."
Atletico, meanwhile, made it to their second semifinal under Diego Simeone last season in three years, facing city rivals Real Madrid once again. They almost came close to winning the most cherished prize in European club football before the Los Galacticos pipped them on penalties to clinch the La Decima.
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But after the departure of former manager Pep Guardiola to Manchester City, the German champions have already got to a flying start under new manager Carlo Ancelotti winning eight out of eight games, along with scoring a whopping 27 goals and conceding just 2. And the former La Masia academy graduate is finding his rhythm after being plagued with injuries in the last couple of season.
Matchday 1 saw Bayern Munich thrash FC Rostov with a comfortable 5-0 win while Atletico Madrid secured a 1-0 victory over Dutch Champions PSV. Both the teams will be hoping to fight it out to finish on top of group D, giving them an advantage of an easy progression.
