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PARIS. – Last season’s Champions League soccer finalists Atletico Madrid are in desperate need of three points to kick-start their European campaign when Italian champions Juventus visit the Spanish capital tonight. Spanish La Liga champions Atletico were surprisingly beaten 3-2 in their first group match away to Olympiakos a fortnight ago, conceding as many goals as they did in the whole of the group stage last season in the process.

However, Diego Simeone’s men appear to have rediscovered their defensive solidity in the past week with back-to-back wins and clean sheets, including an impressive 4-0 thrashing of the previously unbeaten Sevilla at the weekend.

Simeone’s return to the touchline after a six-game ban in all competitions appeared to galvanise the team and supporters alike, and the Argentine has called on the fans to recreate the atmosphere for the visit of Juventus.

“The atmosphere is what we need in all the games at the Calderon. There was a perfect communion between what the team offered and what the fans experience in the stadium. It felt like there was a mountain of us on the pitch.”-AFP.