SOCCER: Simeone heaps praise on Griezmann ahead of Champions League quarter-final away to Barcelona

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone heaped praise on Antoine Griezmann as they prepare to face Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday (April 7).

Griezmann is set to leave Atletico at the end of the season having signed for MLS outfit Orlando City last month on a contract ​beginning in July 2026.

The 35-year-old former French international and World Cup winner departs Atletico as the club's record scorer with over 200 goals across two spells in the Spanish capital.

Atletico, fourth in the domestic standings, will look to put their league disappointment behind them when they visit the Camp Nou.

The two sides meet again days after Barcelona snatched a 2-1 LaLiga win in Madrid, with Robert Lewandowski scoring a late winner against a 10-man Atletico.

-Conal Quinn, Horaci Garcia/Reuters