Following the first leg, in which Atletico Madrid set up to defend deep for the majority of the match, they were criticized by both fans and pundits alike for their tactics.

Pictures of Atleti's formation, which was sat back in two banks of five, were particularly popular on social media, particularly Twitter and Instagram. In the first leg, the visitors were unable to register a single shot in the entire ninety minutes.

Koke Resureccion, the Atletico Madrid captain, spoke to the media ahead of the second leg of the tie and expressed his desire to defend his team. He told SkySports that he not only admired Manchester City's style of play, but that he also admired and supported Atletico Madrid's style and believed in it completely.

The team's captain, Koke, was confident in the need to alter their approach going into the second leg, but insisted that they would try to attack as usual on Wednesday.