Here is a variety of soothing thoughts for Atletico Madrid fans who, without them, would probably be inconsolable wrecks, curled up in the corner of their TV room, quaking with dread about what their next brutal Colchonero experience is going to be.
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First: Atleti don’t play in the Champions League until the last week of February. Frankly, if the first leg of their round-of-16 tie was next week, which it could have been, then Diego Simeone’s players would probably still be in massive shock from the four-goal humiliation they received at Camp Nou on Sunday.
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Second: The fact that the initial Champions League draw was botched, forcing a redo, means that Atleti aren’t about to face Bayern Munich, their original , which would have meant we could draw a flatline through the rest of their European season. They’d be “out” already, before a ball was kicked in anger.
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Third: Their rivals a…