City take on the La Liga side in the quarter-finals and Guardiola says Atleti are a clever side, who are capable of stifling teams and preventing them from playing their normal game.
The City boss also added the second leg in Madrid will be particularly tough.
“What can I say? They went through an incredibly tough group stage and then over 180 minutes against United they were better,” said Pep at his Friday press briefing.
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“In Madrid they were fantastic, and again here (in Manchester). It’s a team that are what they are and they are able to avoid what you are.
“You try to impose your game, but sometimes it is difficult.
“Playing the second leg away is more complicated. But these are the best eight teams in Europe. All roads are difficult.”
Guardiola says that City and Atleti may be different in many ways, but in some ways, both sides are also very similar.
“If Simeone likes not conceding goals, I like more than him,” said Pep.
“And I like counter attacking, like he does. I am sometimes not able to do things but both teams concede few goals and concede few chances.
“They defend deeper maybe, but some moments they press high. Against United in the first 20 minutes, United could not breathe.
“I saw the game against United in the second leg and the way they had tempo they can use the counter attack.
“They are doing that for many years - maybe one decade. They reached the final of the Champions League and but for one minute, they didn’t win it.
“They play to win and we play to win. We know it will be hard to impose our game because they are good at that.
“They compete to win titles. They had success and everyone knows what is their path. The players know what they have to do.
“That’s why they were incredibly consistent in the last year.
“We have to be clever, wait for the right moment. It doesn’t matter, we play another opponent in the quarter-final and it would be tough.
“We go to a nice stadium, incredible supporters and we play to reach the semi-final. hopefully they are worried to play us.
And the boss is refusing to look beyond Atleti, adding that the fact City could play either Chelsea or Real Madrid in the semi-final was immaterial.
“We have tough work to do with Atletico Madrid before we think of the next round,” he said. “I will not answer.”
