Resino realistic about Atlético aims

Abel Resino knows that any coach of Club Atlético de Madrid faces an enormous burden of expectation which some might interpret as excessive.

Under pressure
The quid pro quo of having some of the noisiest and most fervently loyal fans in Europe is a demand for scintillating football, non-stop commitment and the side having a serious tilt at domestic and UEFA honours. Recent consistency problems in the Liga, failing to build on impressive qualification for the UEFA Champions League against Panathinaikos FC, has only added to the pressure.

Porto reunion
For his part, Resino admits Atlético are not quite ready to go all the way in this competition but he is looking forward to unleashing his attacking side on Chelsea FC and first, on Wednesday, he wants revenge against FC Porto. "When I arrived at this club last season we were faced with a very difficult knockout tie when we drew Porto," said the 49-year-old, appointed in February. "We drew both games but Porto went through on away goals. We achieved something beautiful because Atlético went through the entire Champions League without losing a match."

Opposition strength
On Matchday 1 Atlético were held 0-0 by APOEL FC in Spain while Porto lost 1-0 at Chelsea. "Porto are a strong side with powerful players but we looked good against them too," Resino continued. "Porto continue to function very well despite important players like Lucho and Lisandro leaving. I'm glad to have the chance to play them again but they are a difficult, complicated team. As for my team, I'm not sure we are ready to reach a Champions League final yet because there are big clubs around with huge budgets. But Atlético must be present in Europe and keep growing and achieving."

Favourites
While playing down his side's chances of reaching their first European Champions Clubs' Cup final since 1974, Resino has a shortlist of teams he expects to see playing across Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu on 22 May. "For me the favourites remain FC Barcelona," he said, "It's not easy but if they play how they can and players avoid injury they will be hard to beat. They won the 'Triplete' of all their competitions last season and are under pressure, but they remain my top favourites. Chelsea are very strong while Real Madrid, should their new players gel, will be competitive. Internazionale Milano also have a chance because of their coach, [José ] Mourinho, and the similarity of their style to Chelsea's. Then Manchester United are always in this competition. These five are the strongest in Europe at the moment".