Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez has called on his team's supporters to be "the 12th man" in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg at home to Real Madrid.
A Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick saw Real Madrid record a 3-0 victory in the first leg of their last-four clash last week, leaving Atletico on the brink of elimination.
Saul has admitted that the second leg is "very complicated" due to Real Madrid's three-goal success at the Bernabeu, but the Spaniard claims that the Atletico supporters 'always give the team hope'.
"The second leg has become very complicated and hard for us. We know that playing at home is a bonus for us and this is a fixture we have to give our all in so that our fans go away proud of us, whether we qualify or not," Saul told reporters.
"The most important thing for us is the fans, so we must concentrate on thinking positively and attempting to qualify. This time we get to play with the 12th man – they know how important they are for us and this time we really need them, and they helped us last week in the Bernabeu and always give us hope.
"Our fans always give their all and always do the club proud, so as players we must replicate that and play with their positivity and bravery. We don't have to go crazy at the beginning, we know we must be smart and despite it being very tough it is not impossible but we must go step by step."
No team has ever overturned even a two-goal first-leg defeat in the Champions League semi-finals.
Matt Law
