Oblak urges Atlético to chase Champions League place
Jan Oblak said oblak and Atlético de Madrid cannot wait for the Champions League to come to them. The goalkeeper put the club’s semifinal task in blunt terms before the first leg, saying the team must go after it and treat Wednesday as its most important match of the season.
Oblak and Atlético media day
Oblak, Lookman and Nico Gonzalez appeared at Atlético’s media day before the first leg of the Champions League semifinals. For the goalkeeper, the message was simple: the competition will not arrive on its own.
“La Champions sola no va a llegar, hay que ir a por ella,” he said. He added that Atlético are still alive, still have options to compete for the trophy, and should not treat the semifinal as something the club is owed.
“No creo que sea así. Estamos vivos, con opciones de pelearlo y es lo más bonito e importante, pero no creo que sea algo que se nos debe. Lo tenemos que hacer en el campo, ganar e ir a por ello, solo no va a llegar.”
Musso and the recovery race
Oblak also tied his own return to the team’s push. He said he is “very well” and at “100 percent” after needing a month to recover, and he framed the injury spell as a period where he could only help in a different way.
“Cuando estás lesionado es difícil, porque ayudas al equipo de otra manera, estás fuera, pero están otros compañeros que lo hacen muy bien,” he said. He did not play against Barcelona, and Juan Musso “lo hizo muy bien” as Atlético moved on to the semifinals.
That competition has been part of a wider injury picture around the squad. Pablo Barrios and José María Giménez were unavailable, and Oblak said the loss in the Copa final was hard even if the season is not over.
Wednesday at Atlético
Oblak said pressure does not change and that Wednesday brings the club’s biggest match of the season. He called the semifinal build-up a reminder that success has to be earned on the pitch, not expected because of the badge or the stage.
The goal now is plain enough: use the first leg to keep Atlético’s Champions League run alive and turn a bruising cup setback into a push for the final. Oblak said he wants to help the club do exactly that.
