Atletico Madrid forward Fernando Torres says his side will treat its upcoming trip to Australia with the utmost seriousness.
Atletico will depart Spain for Melbourne today, with an International Champions Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur to be played on Friday night at the MCG.
The Spanish club then travels to Geelong for a tour match against Melbourne Victory at Simonds Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Tickets are available here.
“We’re really excited to go to Melbourne to meet our fans,” Torres said.
“I know that we have a lot of supporters and fans there, so it’s going to be a great opportunity for them to meet the team.”
Torres said Atletico will leave no stone unturned in preparing for its 2016/17 campaign.
“The pre-season is the most important part of the year,” he said. “We have to train with intensity, play with intensity.
“For us, every game is important.”
Torres, who is travelling to Australia for the first time, said he has always wanted to visit the country.
“It’s the first time Atletico de Madrid is going to Australia, it’s my first time as well, so I’m really excited,” he said.
“I’ve been looking forward to going on holidays many times and in the end I didn’t go, so it’s nice to have this opportunity to go there.”
Atletico had its first pre-season match on Saturday, beating second-tier CD Numancia 2-0 in El Burgo de Osma.
Torres opened the scoring in the 35th minute, calmly beating the goalkeeper from the edge of the six-yard box, before an own goal early in the second half doubled the advantage.
New signings Sime Vrsaljko, Diogo Jota and Rafael Santos all featured for Atletico, with the trio expected to travel to Australia.
Click here to renew or join as a Melbourne Victory member for the upcoming Hyundai A-League season.
