Atlético prays for Fenerbahçe win

Posted Sunday, August 11, 2013 by Marca.com

Atlético will remain glued to the play-offs for the group stages of this season's Champions League, in which Simeone's team has already guaranteed its place.

Atleti will be specifically watching the tie between Fenerbahçe and Arsenal, with the first leg being played in Istanbul and the return leg in London.

The reason for the club's interest is that if the English club is knocked out, the Spaniards would automatically be promoted to one of the top seeds in the tournament’s draw.

Right now, Atlético is ranked eleventh in UEFA's European rankings. However, two of the teams ahead of it are not playing in this season's Champions League: Inter and Valencia, which leaves Atlético on the cusp of eighth place.

However, any chance of reaching eighth place involves overtaking Arsenal, as Barcelona, Bayern, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, Benfica and Porto are uncatchable.

Should Arsenal qualify, Atlético would remain in the second pot alongside Olympique Lyonnais, AC Milan and Schalke 04, all of whom must also win their play-offs, plus Shakhtar, Marseille, CSKA Moscow and Paris Saint-Germain.

Atlético will find out the outcome of the tie on 27th August - the first leg is on 21st -, barely 24 hours before the return leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona. The draw for the group stages of the Champions League takes place the following day.