MADRID: Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone hailed Harry Kane as a worthy Ballon d’Or winner as his buoyant side prepare to put their nine-game unbeaten run on the line against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Simeone praised the England captain’s enduring scoring instinct ahead of the clash at the Metropolitano Stadium.
“Firstly, I’d like to congratulate him on his well-deserved Ballon d’Or. It’s incredible I’ve always admired him,” Simeone said. “As he’s matured over the years, he’s found his best form without losing his eye for goal; he knows what the team needs.”
The Argentine said Kane’s influence extended beyond his performances.
“His talent is a real asset to the game and to the young players who look up to him, because he leaves a legacy showing that you can achieve great things through hard work.”
Atletico have won eight of their last nine matches in all competitions, including a 2-1 La Liga derby victory over Real Madrid.
They sit 16th in the Champions League standings with four points from three matches, one point behind 14th-placed Bayern, who arrive after successive draws in the competition.
“Finding that balance and consistency is the hardest part, and it’s what all of us coaches want,” Simeone said. “We need to enjoy the run and approach it with enthusiasm as we move forward.”
‘BARCA EQUAL TO PSG, REAL’
Fellow La Liga side Barcelona host Premier League outfit Aston Villa on Tuesday as they aim to get back on track in the Champions League and the Catalan club midfielder Anthony Gordon said he is looking forward to the match.
“I’m always motivated the same… the fact they’re English doesn’t make it more motivating for me,” said Gordon ahead of Villa’s visit to Camp Nou. “They’re a very good team… they have a great coach [Unai Emery], one of the best in the world… it’s going to be a very difficult game.”
Villa hold a 100 per cent record so far in the Champions League, defeating Viking, Fenerbahce and Club Brugge.
Barcelona signed Gordon from Newcastle United in the summer for a fee which could rise to 80 million euros ($89m).
The 25-year-old has three goals and five assists in 13 appearances across all competitions, but said his best is yet to come.
The former Newcastle United midfielder also insisted that his team are not below the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, despite recent defeats by both sides.
“I don’t think they’re above [us]. We have to take responsibility for both losses because they’re the two biggest games we played so far this season and we lost, but I don’t think they’re above us,” Gordon told reporters. “I think we’re a fantastic team and on any given day we can beat anybody.”
In these two games, the PSG game has a bit of context… on the weekend in their league they rested their whole team.
“We didn’t have this privilege, so we were really tired in the game. This is normal, fine, we have to take responsibility, but I think they had a massive advantage with this.”
INJURY-HIT PSG VISIT VILLARREAL
Meanwhile on Tuesday, PSG head to Spain to face Villarreal with the French club’s quest to win a third consecutive Champions League title under threat as injuries to key players raise doubts about the strength of their squad for another tilt at European glory.
PSG’s thrilling win against Barcelona was overshadowed by the sight of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia having to be helped off injured in the second half.
The Georgian was probably the best player in last season’s Champions League knockout rounds, with seven goals and four assists in eight games up to and including the final against Arsenal.
But the rupture to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee means he is unlikely to return this season.
Luis Enrique’s team began this season’s league phase with three wins from three and are well set to reach the knockout stage, but PSG must now be mulling whether to sign a replacement for Kvaratskhelia in the January transfer window.
“Not especially. No injury means we need to sign a new player. None,” Luis Enrique said when asked if PSG now needed to go shopping. “I already said at the start of the season that our team could stay the same, even with two or three injuries. That said, we are always open to the possibility of new players. But not just because we have injuries.”
PSG will also be without Ousmane Dembele after he suffered a hamstring injury against Barca, while centre-back Marquinhos and left-back Nuno Mendes are also sidelined due to injuries.
CARRICK SHRUGS OFF MAN UTD SACK TALK
Michael Carrick brushed off suggestions he has just two games left as Manchester United boss as he prepares his underperforming side for Tuesday’s clash against AS Roma.
Carrick’s position at Old Trafford is increasingly precarious following defeat at Chelsea, which extended United’s winless run in all competitions to nine games — their longest such run in 42 years.
The club are just one place above the Premier League relegation zone after taking a mere seven points from their nine matches so far this season. And they are 20th in the Champions League table following a dismal 4-1 defeat away at Como.
Carrick was asked at his pre-match press conference on Monday whether he felt he had just two games left at the helm — the match against Roma and Sunday’s clash with Aston Villa. There is an international break after the Villa game.
“No, not at all,” said the 45-year-old, in his first full season in charge of United. “If you look into the future, you never know what’s going to happen. That doesn’t change the way I feel, how we’re preparing for the game. I’m actually really looking forward to the game, can’t wait for it. You might think I’m crazy with the results we’ve had and what’s going on, but I genuinely can’t wait.”
Carrick said the dressing room was in “a good place” despite the terrible start to the season.
“Perception is a funny thing. You can make things look all sorts of different ways and think about all sorts of different things,” he said.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, French side Lille face Bodo/Glimt while last year’s finalist Inter Milan lock horns with Feyenoord. Rock-bottom Slovakian club Slovan Bratislava will try to stop the rot as they travel to Austria to face LASK.
Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2026
