Breaking Down Atletico Madrid's Champions League Semi-Final Opponents Chelsea
The Champions League draw has pitted Atletico Madrid against Chelsea, and the Spanish side will be compiling reports on their opponents in the weeks ahead.
They will focus on two areas of strength and two weaknesses.
Atletico know Chelsea well after beating them in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup in which Radamel Falcao scored a hat-trick.
Of course, Chelsea have changed a lot since then and now have Jose Mourinho at the helm.
However, Atletico are well-versed in the Portuguese coach's tactics and beat his Real Madrid side in last year's Copa del Rey final.
What Diego Simeone will be looking at when Chelsea come to town on April 22 is how to beat the two strongest elements of Mourinho's team.
First, the defence.
Health permitting, Chelsea will line up with Cesar Azpilicueta and Ashley Cole at right- and left-back respectively, with John Terry and Gary Cahill in the middle.
Azpilicueta has been playing at left-back for most of the season, but Branislav Ivanovic is suspended for the first leg.
Terry and Cahill are a daunting proposition for most strikers, but Diego Costa, if fit, will fancy running at them with his pace.
Azpilicueta has virtually been flawless since stepping into the side, but Cole is someone who has had very little game time. The England left-back is in danger of missing out on the World Cup and can be got at, with Atletico's Koke likely to start on the right and come inside.
The other key area of danger to Atletico is Chelsea's attacking midfield.
This part of the Blues squad is stocked like no other, so well in fact that they decided to sell playmaker Juan Mata to Manchester United in January.
If Mourinho can play his first-choice trio then Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian will line up behind the striker from left to right. That trio has almost everything, with Hazard's incisive play, Oscar's drive and Willian's speed and excellence during transitions.
On the bench there is Andre Schurrle, who scored a crucial goal in the second leg against Paris Saint-Germain for Chelsea. He offers something a little different than the other three and is starting to show he can be trusted when the going gets tough.
Petr Cech too, will be looking to keep Atletico at bay.
Next season it may be the Rojiblanco goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois who is between Chelsea's sticks, but Cech certainly isn't going to go down without a fight. He is capable of making crucial, outstanding saves, like his one to deny Marquinhos at the end of the aforementioned quarter-final.
Even though the defensive midfield for Chelsea is not strong with Nemanja Matic ineligible, Frank Lampard offers experience and an eye for goal, while Ramires is always a threat on the break.
Ironically, though the player you expect to pose the most threat to a side is the striker, it will be far from the case if Fernando Torres starts.
Demba Ba is more of a handful, likewise Samuel Eto'o, but the latter has found it hard to score away from home.
Simeone will say ahead of the game that Chelsea are the favourites for the reasons outlined above.
The Blues are clearly dangerous, and Mourinho likes his team to have a cutting edge on the break. They play in a similar style to Atletico, and we may end up with a game of cat-and-mouse rather than hell-for-leather.
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