Diego Simeone says he is lucky to be able to coach Antoine Griezmann, labelling him "one of the most important players I have ever had" at Atletico Madrid.

Griezmann is set to leave Atletico at the end of the season, having agreed a deal with MLS side Orlando City SC during the international break.

The Frenchman has been a key figure in Simeone's Atletico across his two spells at the club, making 489 appearances in all competitions and netting 211 goals in that time – he is the club's all-time leading scorer.

Rumours had suggested Griezmann would leave Atletico mid-season, but he has opted to stay through to the end of 2025-26 as the club chase a strong finish.

And ahead of Atletico's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Griezmann’s former club Barcelona, Simeone was full of praise for the 35-year-old.

"Several are going to get jealous," Simeone joked when asked if Griezmann was the best player he has ever coached.

"I'm grateful to have a player like him. He spent three difficult months to understand where he was. We started talking about how he could play more inside.

"He is in brutal physical condition. I consider him to be one of the most important players I have ever had.

"We have talked a lot. I have always given him my opinion as a coach and as a person who loves him. I am his coach, and I have always sought to help him because he has returned that affection.

"He told me what he felt, and I understood."

Atletico lost 2-1 to Barcelona when they met in LaLiga on Saturday, giving up a 1-0 lead and finishing the game with 10 men after Nico Gonzalez's red card.

But Atletico have only lost one of their previous four Champions League games against Barcelona (W2 D1), eliminating the Catalan side in both of their previous knockout-stage ties (2-1 on aggregate in 2013-14 and 3-2 in 2015-16). 

However, Simeone's side are winless in their last six away games in the knockout stages of the competition (D1 L5), with their last victory coming at Old Trafford against Manchester United in March 2022 (1-0).

"An important rival at an important moment in the competition," Simeone said of Barcelona. "The Champions League is always complex.

"We know Barcelona's ability and how strong they are at home. We are here to compete and play a game where we believe we can hurt them."

Atletico will be without Jan Oblak for the trip to Camp Nou, with the goalkeeper still recovering from an injury.

He is closing in on a return, but Simeone was not willing to risk putting Oblak in too early, with Juan Musso set to continue in goal.

"He is better and working well," Simeone added about Oblak.

"I understood that he was not 100%, and in this case, it is better for Musso to continue. Let's hope that for the next game we can have him in good condition."