Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone and defender Axel Witsel said Tuesday they hoped Antoine Griezmann’s return could propel them into the Champions League quarter-finals. The French forward suffered an ankle sprain in the 1-0 first leg defeat by Inter Milan in February and missed the following four matches across all competitions, in which Atletico won just once.

Crucial home fixture

Griezmann has trained ahead of the second leg at the Metropolitano stadium in the Spanish capital on Wednesday and could start. “Griezmann gives the team a lot of strength... he’s a very important player, we are very happy that he is back,” Witsel told a news conference.