Koke pleased with squad balance

Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke has said that the capital outfit have a "very balanced" squad ahead of their Champions League Group C opener against Galatasaray on Tuesday.

The Spanish international was part of the Atleti side that made the final of the competition in the 2012-13 season, but they went out in the quarter-finals to Real Madrid last term.

However, Koke is confident that his team have the credentials to make a serious impression this time around as they prepare to open with a fixture in Istanbul.

"The group is very balanced," Koke, who has been with the capital outfit since 2000 and recently signed a five-year deal at the Vicente Calderon, told reporters.

"It is true that two years ago we reached the final and last season we almost got to the semi-finals, but they have very experienced people such as [Lukas] Podolski or [Wesley] Sneijder, and I think the atmosphere will have a great influence too and have to be very careful."

Spain have five teams competing in the group stages of the competition this season, with Valencia and Sevilla also joining Atletico, Barcelona and Real Madrid.