The Uruguay international has been in the form of an excellent goal-scoring goal since leaving Barcelona in strong fashion over the summer.
Diego Simeone says Luis Suarez has performed exactly as expected from his first phone call with him.
The Atletico Madrid striker is La Liga’s top scorer this season, tied with former team-mate Lionel Messi on 11 goals. Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri only has more, though both players have played more games than Suarez.
Barcelona ‘s loss has been Atletico’ s advantage since he left hard for Camp Nou, with Suarez ‘s goals above their title cost.
Atletico enter Sunday’s game with Valencia four points clear of Real Madrid in second place, with Simeone’s side also holding two games in their hands over their home rivals.
“The moment I spoke to Luis on the phone I discovered what he offers on the pitch: a lot of desire and energy,” Simeone said at Saturday’s pre-game press conference.
“The team helps it to be the best, scoring, something that is celebrated throughout life.”
Atletico will be confident they will extend the lead against Valencia on Sunday. Javi Gracia ‘s side are lamenting in the 14th and have not won any of their last 12 league games against Atletico – a run stretching back to 2014.
Despite Atletico ‘s good form, Simeone would love to see Portuguese writer Joao Felix rediscover his rub after a slight decline in his recent performances. The 21-year-old has not scored from multiple goals in two games at the start of November.
“You always try to focus on a football player,” Simeone said. “They have good, average and amazing times, and as coaches we try to take advantage of every player’s times.
“We need Joao. When he ‘s at his best, he can be unbalanced [the opposition’s defence] and provide different solutions. We need it in that version. This is what we are looking for in training. “
The stats are firmly in Atletico’s favor heading into Sunday’s game.
The Rojiblancos have won their last seven home games in the league, holding six clean sheets, while Simeone has never lost a league game at home to Valencia as manager.
They will, however, be without Kieran Trippier on the right after FIFA rejected their claim against his 10-week ban for breaching betting rules.