Fernando Torres: Diego Simeone is key to Atletico Madrid's success

Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres believes coach Diego Simeone is key to their success as they seek revenge against Real Madrid in tonight's Champions League quarter-final first leg, while Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has called on his team to forget their shock weekend defeat to Parma.

With the determined Argentine at the helm, Atletico have belied their economic inferiority to become one of the most dangerous sides in Europe and now the La Liga champions take on Real aiming once again for a place in the semi-finals of the continent's elite competition.

In the past, Atletico were accustomed to being swept aside by the footballing aristocrats, who claimed their 10th European crown against them in Lisbon last season, but now they are more than capable of trading blows.

Atletico beat Real to win the season's Super Cup curtain-raiser, knocked them out of the King's Cup and defeated them in both La Liga clashes. The manner of their 4-0 demolition of Real in February's league meeting even led to questions about the future of coach Carlo Ancelotti.

"It is his character as a player and as a coach that drives the team," Torres said of Simeone.

"He knows we are a team that needs to know what we are about, our weaknesses and our strengths, but above all our weaknesses so we can then implement our qualities.

"We don't have the options that Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern [Munich] or Chelsea have, we cannot drop points and make up for them later. We are a team that plays at our limit."

Elsewhere, preparations for Italian champions Juventus' most crucial fixture of the season have been far from perfect.