Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone admits he's a fan of Sporting CP counterpart Jorge Jesus.

The two face-off in the Europa League quarterfinal first-leg on Thursday night.

"He's important, Sporting have a very capable coach," said Simeone.

"I like his character and what he transmits to his teams, he tries to minimise the individual talents of his opponents with the collective value of his team.

"He has competed very well against Juventus and Barcelona earlier in the season."