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Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone looks ahead to start of La Liga season

Andrea Comas / Reuters

Atletico Madrid is set to kick off its 2015-16 La Liga campaign and the club's intrepid manager, Diego Simeone, set the tone for the season early on by revealing his starting XI a full day before the teams first game against Las Palmas.

Simeone also looked ahead to the upcoming season and said he and his players are "very excited" to be back at the Vicente Calderon stadium once more.

"We've only really had half a preseason because we were searching for players, the new signings are integrating into the side and are learning what we're looking for in the game," Simeone told reporters. "The adrenaline pumps, the expectations begin and we're looking forward to seeing the stadium full again."

Atleti has been quite busy in the summer transfer window, bringing in nine new players while parting ways with a whopping 20 players from its ranks. There are some key players on either end of those transactions, including winger Arda Turan heading to Barcelona for €35 million.

This much turnover means Atletico will need to adapt, but Simeone says the most important thing is remember the club's identity in the process.

"We want to do everything we can not to lose the essence of the team and be up for what each game asks of us," Simeone explained. "There is some beautiful competition, particularly up front. Their different strengths give us options. I’m going to look for an 11 and a bench that gives me solutions."

Up top, Simeone will be relying on his newest striker, Colombian forward Jackson Martinez. The Atleti boss said he expects the former FC Porto man to "work hard and compete with teammates" just as Falcao, Diego Costa, and Mario Mandzukic did before him.

But Simeone isn't discounting his team's strength at the back, either. Defensive reinforcements haven't been the priority this summer but Atletico still managed to ensure it's back four would remain steady, signing Uruguayan defender Diego Godin to a contract extension that will keep him at the Vicente Calderon until 2019.

"It means that Godín stays, Filipe (Luis) returns, that Juanfran, Koke and (Antoine) Griezmann stay," Simeone said, when asked what Godin's renewal means for his team. "It gives us a base. It shows you what we're trying to do here. It gives me more strength to keep the club going in the right direction.

"It’s hard to find commitment and here we have committed players," he concluded.

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