Atlético's 1-1 draw against Barcelonaat the Camp Nou allows them to remain optimistic. History points to this being an excellent result for the Madrid side, mainly because they have qualified for the next round 15 times from 17 ties in which they've drawn the first leg 1-1.
This record allows the Calderón faithful to dream of playing a Champions League semi-final this season - something that nobody gave them a chance of at the start of the campaign.
This extremely positive record is in all knock-out competitions. In Europe, Atlético has qualified for the next round in six out of seven ties following a 1-1 away draw in the first leg.
The last time they managed to do so was this very season. Simeone's troops managed a draw against Valencia at Mestalla in the Spanish Cup and settled the tie with a 2-0 win at the Vicente Calderón.
Only two sides have been able to knock Atleti out after a 1-1 away draw. Coincidently, the first was Barcelona. Johan Cruyff led the Catalans to a 2-1 Spanish Cup win at the Calderón during the 1973-74 campaign.
The other was against Ajax, the last time that Atleti competed for a place in the Champions League semi-finals. The Dutch side's 3-2 win in Madrid sent Atlético crashing out of the competition.
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