Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone backed striker Mario Mandzukic ahead of today’s crunch clash with Valencia, which would see the visitors leapfrog the reigning champions into third with a victory.

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Mandzukic was left out of the team for last weekend’s goalless draw at Sevilla and he delivered an ineffectual display after being introduced in the second half, leading to heavy criticism that he was sulking after losing his place.

Simeone sang the praises of the combustible Croatian striker, who has scored 12 league goals since joining Atletico from Bayern Munich in the summer.

“He is very important for us,” said the Argentine boss. “He is a decisive player who creates a lot of dangerous situations for us in many ways.”

Mandzukic is set to return to the starting line-up tonight due to the suspension of leading scorer Ant-oine Griezmann, with key central defender Miranda also missing out for an accumulation of yellow cards.

Valencia are boosted by the une-xpected return of defender Nicolas Otamendi following an ankle injury, leading manager Nuno to smile: “If you knew him like I do, you wouldn’t be surprised how quickly he’s recovered.” 

And Nuno called upon his players to show cool heads, saying: “What we must do is manage our emotions.”