'Cup ties are dangerous' – Simeone warns Atleti ahead of Leverkusen clash

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone warned his side their Champions League tie against Bayer Leverkusen was "dangerous" despite their strong position.

The LaLiga giants appear to be in control of the last-16 tie after recording a 4-2 win in the first leg in Germany.

But after Barcelona's sensational comeback against Paris Saint-Germain the Argentine is determined not to let Atletico's concentration slip.

Ahead of the second leg on Wednesday, Simeone stressed the importance of maintaining their focus as all cup ties were tricky to navigate.

"We must always play the games in the same way," he told a news conference on Tuesday, via Marca.

"I don't care about the competition, I only value the shirt that we have and that we always play with the same intention.

"Though we won in Germany, there were complicated moments during the 90 minutes and cup ties are dangerous, not only because of what happened in Barcelona.

"We have to take the match where we want it to go."

Atletico will be without forward Kevin Gameiro, who scored and had an assist at the BayArena, for Wednesday's return leg at the Vicente Calderon, while Fernando Torres could make his return from a head injury.

Despite their strong position in the tie, defender Diego Godin added Atletico were only eyeing a second-leg victory, rather than planning for the last-eight.

"Atletico Madrid will approach the match the way it should be, by wanting to win," Godin said.

"We are excited about the match and won't think about the first leg at all.

"It may seem normal to be on the verge of the Champions League quarter-finals, but we have to treat it with the importance it deserves."